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Despite a 2020 commitment by KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Education MEC Kwazi Mshengu, to rid his Department of all unqualified teachers, two years later the number of untrained educators in the province’s classrooms has increased by more than ten-fold.

The shocking finding forms part of two written parliamentary replies from the MEC – one in February 2020 (view here) and a later one in May 2022 (view here) – both in response to questions by the Democratic Alliance in the province.

According to the replies:

• In February 2020 there were 215 unqualified teachers in KZN and;
• In May 2022 there were 2 810.

The latest reply also shows that the worst affected areas in terms of unqualified teachers are:

• Zululand with 357 unqualified educators
• King Cetshwayo with 325
• UThukela with 281
• Umgungundlovu with 270 and;
• Pinetown with 267.

In his February 2020 parliamentary reply, the MEC also stated that all unqualified teachers had been given 30 days’ notice with effect from 1 March and that they would be replaced with qualified educators by April. Clearly this was not the case.

One of the excuses offered by the Department of Education (DoE) for this debacle is that the current unqualified educators are only in Grade R - while the Grade remains significant as part of the overall education process and while one of the biggest problems within the Foundation Phase is the inability to read with meaning and the lack of basics when it comes to subjects such as mathematics. While these are not taught in Grade R, the year forms the basis for developing cognitive skills for the academic years that follow.

The idea behind incorporating Early Childhood Development (ECD) into Education was to remedy the dismal educational outcomes of our learners. Yet, here we have unqualified teachers occupying a critical area of the education cycle. It is little wonder that things go wrong later on for so many learners.

Then there is the question: Why are unqualified Grade R teachers being employed when there is no shortage of qualified teachers sitting at home? That the DoE has opted to keep unqualified individuals on its payroll, while qualified teachers struggle with unemployment after years of study and debt, is beyond comprehension.

The question now is – what should the DoE do with these unqualified teachers? A simple solution would be to utilise their experience and skills, either as teacher assistants or within the ECD sector. Funding for this can be found through the ECD grants, if they fall within that component.

Additional funding can also be found by abandoning the now unlegislated and repealed Covid-19 screening processes within KZN’s schools, for which the DoE has budgeted R245 million. This money must be re-purposed for proper education instead of being spent on a useless process that the Health Minister has already rid the country of.

The DA will insist that the MEC accounts for the staggering increase in unqualified teachers in KZN’s classrooms. Their presence is threatening the futures of thousands of young people and is once again indicative of an ANC that does not care.

Basic education can no longer be left in the hands of an incompetent ANC which has already shown how it will capture and destroy any semblance of quality education that remains. If education is to contribute towards the formation of a capable and ethical state, the ballot box must be used in 2024 to rid our country of its current unfit leadership.

Issued by Dr Imran Keeka, MPL - DA KZN Spokesperson on Education