Burnout, early retirement threaten education quality, say SA teachers

Education experts are warning that teacher burnout and early retirements are putting the quality of learning at risk.

According to Basil Manuel, Executive Director of the National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of South Africa (Naptosa), many experienced teachers are opting to leave the profession early due to stress, exhaustion, and declining job satisfaction.

"One of the greater tragedies is that there are good people who just feel that they're not getting enough returns, and I'm not talking about financial returns, I'm talking about happiness with the job - the happiness index is pretty low."

Manuel says a growing number of teachers aged 55 to 59 are applying for early retirement, taking with them decades of experience that schools can ill afford to lose.

"Those are also the people we need in the system because we need good teachers to remain behind to ensure that the younger teachers that are coming up, who themselves have wonderful ideas, but still need to be sorted into the system, get good examples.”

At the same time, he said overcrowdedclassrooms and mounting administrative pressures are driving younger educators to seek opportunities overseas, where pay is higher and workloads lighter.

Manuel urged school principals to prioritise staff wellbeing and retention, warning that unless teachers are supported, education quality will continue to erode.

"They are under pressure, but don't transfer that to teachers who desperately need more support. They need to be happy for the children."

To listen to Manuel in conversation with CapeTalk's Lester Kiewit, use the audio player below: