Teachers in South Africa face challenges such as overcrowded classrooms and inadequate resources and infrastructure. The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted that the context in which teachers work has a profound impact on their teaching practice, says the writer. Picture: Henk Kruger/Independent Newspapers
The theme for this year’s World Teachers’ Day, held annually on October 5 to celebrate teachers around the world, is “Valuing teachers’ voices: towards a new social contract for education”.
To fully harness the pivotal role teachers play in shaping, nurturing and driving education and the future educational progress of their learners, it is crucial that their voices are heard and valued in the decision-making processes that affect their profession.
According to the United Nations’ cultural agency, Unesco, World Teachers’ Day “is a day to celebrate how teachers are transforming education but also to reflect on the support they need to fully deploy their talent and vocation, and to rethink the way ahead for the profession globally”.
This focus is especially poignant for teachers today as education research continues to highlight the complexity of teachers’ emotional responses in times of change when they experience higher than average levels of stress and uncertainty.
The world’s media continues to report on burnout among teachers, which often results in them leaving the profession prematurely. The major disruptions that occurred across educational institutions because of the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown measures exposed already-existing inequities in education. Simultaneously, however, the pandemic also shone a light on the often-neglected critical issue of mental health and well-being.
The expectations placed on teachers today are multiple and complex.
Teachers currently perform many roles, from subject-content specialists to counsellors, yet are increasingly required to take on and complete additional tasks while adapting to ever-changing environments, whether climactic, social, political, technological or personal. Teachers also faced various additional challenges as they responded to the effects of the sudden move to fully online teaching and learning during the pandemic.
These challenges included managing a change in their teaching environment, adjusting and adapting learning materials and teaching practices, and supporting themselves and their learners within the boundaries of the education policies that governed their respective schools, all while looking after their own well-being and that of their family. Teachers are also increasingly expected to adapt to the technological and digital demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Prior to the pandemic, studies on teacher well-being primarily focused on teachers working in developed countries, with limited focus on the emotional well-being and related experiences of teachers in the Global South, particularly on the African continent.
Post-pandemic studies focusing on the emotions of teachers reported that educators gained a greater understanding of themselves, their pupils, their role, and their capabilities. In addition, the pandemic highlighted that the context in which teachers work has a profound impact on their teaching practice.
While significant research on teacher education in South Africa exists, the unique emotional landscape navigated by teachers, particularly those entering the profession, is often overlooked. Despite the spotlight on general well-being since the pandemic, teachers in Africa generally, and South Africa specifically, face unique challenges impacting their emotional well-being. Pre-service teachers, in particular, face a distinct set of difficulties that can significantly impact their well-being in the profession.
As they transition from student to professional teacher, they grapple with anxieties and pressures that relate to classroom management, learner engagement, meeting curriculum expectations, and navigating the complexities of the education system.
Recent local education-related incidents highlight a critical gap in understanding the well-being of teachers and the impact of persistent and new challenges and experiences on teachers in developing countries, particularly within the differing South African contexts.
Reports of teachers being bullied by principals and learners alike, the ongoing debate around the signing into law of the Basic Education Laws Amendment (Bela) Bill and the recent announcement from the Western Cape Education Department about plans to cut 2400 teaching jobs next year have affected teachers, parents, learners and particularly pre-service teachers intent on entering the profession.
These examples reflect the variety and complexity of issues ultimately affecting teacher well-being in South Africa and seem incongruous with the current reality of insufficient numbers of qualified teachers in our schools.
Research conducted on emotions in education in southern Africa is on the rise. A recent review of the relevant literature highlighted studies about the effect of emotions on teachers in the foundation phase, emotions affecting high school teachers, emotions and school leadership, emotional and behavioural barriers to learning, emotions of pre-service teachers during teaching practice in South African primary schools, and emotional intelligence of teachers in our primary school classrooms and in neighbouring countries, such as Botswana.
Studies on emotional labour, the ethics of care, as well as specific emotions in South African classrooms such as aggression and frustration reinforce the urgent need for further research that highlights the nuances of the Southern African context on the study of emotions in education.
As we specifically rethink the future of the teaching profession in South Africa, it is imperative to explore the long-term effects of the pandemic on learning and well-being outcomes in the classroom, as well as the subsequent impact on teacher well-being.
Going forward, we will need to focus on culturally and context-specific research regarding the emotions and well-being of teachers if we want to be more purposeful in valuing their voices. This will help underscore why strategies for teacher well-being must be part of teacher training and education policy considerations in South Africa, specifically for teachers entering the profession.
A more intentional focus on culturally relevant and contextually specific professional development programmes on teacher well-being would assist school leadership to develop effective support strategies tailored to the particular needs of teachers in their unique local contexts.
Moreover, the development of culturally and contextually relevant teacher well-being strategies supported by and implemented through education policy would contribute to the overall well-being of teachers and the resilience of their profession in South Africa.
* Dr Bishop-Swart is a lecturer in the Department of Curriculum Studies at Stellenbosch University.
Cape Times