Sunday Times reports that the prospect of earning the equivalent of five years' salary in one year is luring South African teachers to classrooms in the Gulf. In the main, they are ending up in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates.
A study by University of KwaZulu-Natal master's student Tatum Niemack cites financial, religious, social and political reasons for the exodus. Apart from the possibility of earning between R50,000 and R78,000 a month, teachers are also being driven from SA by the high crime rate, religious intolerance, race-based policies, burgeoning class sizes and workloads and an ineffective curriculum. There are no statistics readily available for the number of teachers who have left, but the SA Council of Educators (Sace), which issues teachers with the letters of professional standing needed to teach abroad, expressed "grave concern". The National Professional Teachers' Organisation of SA (Naptosa) also expressed concern about the teacher exodus. The study found Abu Dhabi's salary packages were more lucrative than those in the UK, which used to attract many SA teachers with incentives such as "discount shopping cards, free internet and gift vouchers". As well as top-notch salaries, teachers are provided with housing, medical insurance and flight allowances for the teacher, spouse and up to three children. A month's salary is offered as a bonus for every year of service, received at the end of the contract period.
- Read this report by Suthentira Govender in full at Sunday Times
- See too, No need to worry about number of teachers leaving SA, says education department, at EWN
- And also, ‘Laat onnies oorsee gaan, daar’s volop hier’, at Maroela Media
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page