World Teachers’ Day: ‘We salute you’, says Motshekga

The Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga has paid tribute to South African teachers, saying they are proud of the calibre in the current schooling system.

Monday, October 5, 2020, marks World Teachers’ Day.

The minister has acknowledged that educators tend to work under difficult circumstances, including crime, poverty and diseases.

“It is not a cliché to say our teachers are and will remain the heartbeat of any serious basic education department.  We salute all of you. Your country is proud of your exploits,” Motshekga said.

“As a country, we must do more to show appreciation to our teachers. Our teachers deserve extra support through both monetary and non-monetary measures for their tenacity, expertise and staying power”

Motshekga: ‘There’s no education crisis in South Africa’

The minister has also said there were ‘falsehoods’ he needed to address, including that South African teachers are not qualified.

“…we have greatly improved the quality of our teachers. Only 54 percent of teachers were qualified in 1994, but today out of over 400 000 teachers, only a statistically insignificant number is still completing their qualifications,” she said.

The minister has described teachers as the pillar of the basic education system.

A number of teachers have also lost their lives to COVID-19 – which Motshekga acknowledged and expressed condolences to their loves ones.

“Your loss cuts deep into our souls. Be comforted that your loved ones have run their race. Ours is to pick up the spear and soldier on. The dearly departed will continue to live amongst us in our hearts. You will surely be missed,” she further said.

“We convene today amid hope rising from the horizon. It is clear that SA, working in tandem with the international community, faced the storm, and now we are beyond the COVID-19 peak”

While the country has reached Alert Level 1 of the coronavirus lockdown, Motshekga stressed that the country remained at risk.

“The virus isn’t on level two or level one. Our mammoth task now is the mobilisation of society for the behavioural change needed as we ramp up non-pharmaceutical interventions as a new way to coexist with the virus”

She said the teachers’ wage bill accounts for approximately 3.5% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) with personnel spending comprising more than 80% of education spending.