Hundreds of teachers are operating in public schools without the required registration, prompting departmental crackdowns.
According to a News24 report, education departments across four provinces, Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and Limpopo, have counted a cumulative 500 teachers who were not registered with the South African Council for Educators (SACE). SACE had raised the issue with provincial departments earlier this year.
The legislation governing SACE makes registration with the council mandatory for employment as a teacher.
Teachers require a Bachelor of Education degree or another bachelor’s degree plus an education diploma.
The issue was raised by SACE in a parliamentary presentation.
Circulars from provincial departments have notified schools of the issue and urged them to rectify it.
Education departments were also attempting to ascertain the exact numbers of unverified teachers, and a registration drive was under way. It was also noted that there were backlogs at SACE, which meant some unregistered teachers might simply be waiting for their applications to be approved.
[Image: Taylor Flowe on Unsplash]