Why SA schools are struggling: The teacher shortage crisis explained

As South African learners go back to school, we need to acknowledge an ongoing issue. Schools are facing a deepening teacher crisis.

This crisis isn't always visible in matric pass rates or official press statements, but shows up in figures, classroom ratios, departures from the profession and workforce demographics.

In April 2024, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga told Parliament that there were 31,462 vacant teacher posts across state schools, which amounts to a 28% increase over three years. The figure included more than 7,000 vacancies in KwaZulu-Natal, over 6,100 in the Eastern Cape and nearly 5,000 in Limpopo. 

If you put it into perspective, these numbers translate into overcrowded classes, overextended teachers, and diminished learning time. Research indicates that more than half of primary learners are in classes with over 40 pupils, a scale that international evidence shows undermines individual attention and effective instruction. 

As vacancies persist, the Department’s own National Recruitment Database listed at least 12,700 qualified, unemployed educators in 2025, ready for deployment. 

In addition to that, teacher numbers are dwindling due to resignations and dismissals. In late 2025, Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube reported that over 30,000 teachers had resigned or been dismissed from public schools over the past five years, approximately 6,000 departures a year. 

According to Gwarube, resignations stemmed from a mix of retirement eligibility, career changes, migration to other sectors, migration out of the country, and overwhelming workload pressures. Dismissals, numbering over 1,200 in the same period, were mainly related to disciplinary processes.

Teacher unions and advocacy groups warn that burnout and poor working conditions are accelerating losses. The Public Servants’ Association (PSA) has flagged that classroom overcrowding and increased workloads are already affecting the quality of teaching and may be linked to rising absenteeism among staff. 

According to a report by SA Human Rights Commission, South African schools found that the average learner-to-teacher ratio was about 31:1, with provincial variation: KwaZulu-Natal’s average was 39 learners per teacher, which is far above the national figure, while Western Cape and Eastern Cape hovered around 28:1.

These ratios suggest many teachers are spread thin, reducing the time they can devote to each learner. Overcrowded classrooms also make effective classroom management harder, which research links to both poorer outcomes and increased teacher stress.

Unions and teacher associations report that stress and burnout contribute to higher sick leave and reported absentee days. Overcrowding and workload pressures are widely cited by teaching staff as reasons for physical and mental fatigue. 

The Age Profile: Retirement and the Future Pipeline

A report by the South African Council for Educators indicate that national figures showed that a large segment of the educator workforce was in older age brackets, approaching “retirement cliff”.

Budget constraints, uneven provincial hiring practices and slow turn-around on permanent contracts compound the challenge, stated DPSA Vacancies.

IOL