The Star reports that over 57,000 permanent teachers resigned between January 2012 and December last year in what trade unions have described as a worrying brain drain for the education sector.  

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga revealed this in response to a parliamentary question.  She indicated:  “The unusually high numbers of resignations were recorded in 2014 and 2015.  These resignation figures were 11,375 and 9,310, respectively.  This coincided with the period in which there was uncertainty relating to the changes in pension dispensation.  However, it should be noted that as at February 2020, about 17,800 of the educators who resigned, were back.”  Yet, in a country with 410,000 public school teachers, no year since 2012 has had less than 5,000 teacher resignations.  Last year saw 6,505 permanent teachers resigning.  In 2018, there were 6,321 who quit, while in 2017 there were 6,794 resignations.  Unions commented that there was a worrying trend of teachers taking the hard decision to resign when their pay no longer met their needs.  “Teachers are resigning because of low salaries,” claimed National Teachers Union (Natu) president Allen Thompson.  Basil Manuel of the National Professional Teachers' Organisation of SA (Naptosa), echoed Thompson’s sentiments.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Bongani Nkosi at The Star

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