Teaching remains a rewarding profession
- Wits University
About 85% of South African teachers say that they are satisfied with their chosen career.
This in one of the findings discussed at the UNESCO World Teachers’ Day celebration event hosted at Wits University. This finding resonated with the educationalists at the event, ranging from those at basic education level to former school teachers and principals who are now teaching at university level.
Citing the results of the OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), guest speaker Colin Penfold, CEO of Penfold Education, said these results confirm that many teachers are committed to their profession, and that they realise the critical role that they play in the development of society.
The results, rather surprising given the challenges faced by South African teachers with a significant number of the surveyed teachers stating that they experience stress, and the commonly reported sources of stress are too much marking (72%), being held responsible for student achievement (70%), and having too much administrative work to do (66%).
Another significant finding is that 93% of recent graduates, teachers who completed their initial teacher education in the five years prior to the survey, agreed that the quality of their initial education was high overall. Read the global results, and the South African findings.
Penfold emphasised the need for ongoing teacher support and relevant development as key to sustaining the profession and learner success.
Teacher preparedness and ongoing support
Attendees were also introduced to a project between the Wits School of Education, Jozi My Jozi, the Gauteng Department of Education and five inner-city schools. The three-year project called Reimagining Inclusive Education in Inner-City Schools, is a public-private initiative aimed at advancing inclusive and equitable learning. Running from 2026 to 2029, the partnership is grounded in the principle of collaboration. The partner schools are: Parktown Public School, Bertrams Junior School, IH Harris Primary School, Denver Primary School and Yeoville Community School.
This project is an example of an initiative that captures the 2026 theme of the Wits UNESCO event: Standing with teachers in South Africa: 60 years of protecting the profession, advancing its status and shaping our futures.
"Inner-city schools in Johannesburg, in particular, serve diverse and often highly mobile learner populations while simultaneously navigating overcrowding, resource constraints and complex social challenges.
Standing together with these teachers and schools, we want to listen, learn from, and work together on practical responses to support these schools,” said Tanya Bekker, Deputy Head of School: Initial Teacher education at the Wits School of Education.