EFF statement on mental health crisis among teachers
19 September 2024
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) notes, with concem, the escalating mental health crisis among South Africa's teachers. Our educators, the backbone of our nation's future, are being overwhelmed by unbearable workloads, compounded by budget cuts that have left our classrooms understaffed.
A recent study revealed that an overwhelming majority of teachers surveyed are in dire need of crisis intervention, including hotlines, counselling, and mentorship. The mental health toll on our teachers is a silent epidemic—one that is being ignored by a government that has cut funding for education at a time when our children need it most.
In Gauteng alone, teachers are occupying more than half the beds in wellness centres due to stress-related issues, while teachers in KwaZulu-Natal are relying on anti-depressants just to cope with the demands of their profession. As more teachers leave the profession due to burnout and depression, the remaining teachers are burdened with even greater responsibilities, leading to a vicious cycle of stress and incapacity.
This is a national emergency. The EFF has long called for social workers to be embedded in our schools, providing psychological support to both learners and teachers. Our educators should not be expected to bear the emotional burdens of their students in addition to their already overwhelming teaching and administrative responsibilities.
The ANC has diabolically failed the entire education sector, betraying both the African child and the teachers meant to serve them. Under their watch, our education system has deteriorated to such an extent that South African students are trailing behind the world in literacy, with many unable to read at age-appropriate levels. This is not just a failure of policy, but a direct consequence of a government more focused on looting than on development.
Mud schools, a disgraceful relic of apartheid, still exist in 2024. School transport is almost non-existent, and in many areas, it has had to be sacrificed just to retain teachers in understaffed classrooms. Feeding schemes, which should ensure no child goes hungry while trying to learn, are being systematically sabotaged through corrupt tender processes that lack any form of accountability. And now, the Ministry of Basic Education is now being led by a DA minister—a party whose interests lie not in improving education but in advancing their divisive, racist politics.
Their indifference was made clear when Minister Gwarube could not even attend the signing of the crucial BELA bill aimed at addressing the urgent challenges in education.
With such leadership, the prospect of reform in our education sector is dim.
The DA in education brings nothing but a continuation of the negligence that has plagued our schools for decades, leaving little hope for meaningful change for our teachers and leamers. They are focused on their pursuit of privatising education, a guaranteed cash cow for white capital, and not in a quality public education system that could uplift the African child.
The EFF, therefore, stands with the educators who have voiced their struggles and those who feel helpless and voiceless in a system that values their output more than their well-being. We will continue to advocate for a reduction in the teacher-to-pupil ratio to 1:30 for primary schools and 1 :25 for secondary schools through the construction of new schools and employment of all teachers currently unemployed.
In addition, there needs to be #TeachersMatter campaign, focusing on the professional and personal needs of teachers. This initiative will provide training in soft skills, emotional wellness, financial literacy, and debt management. Furthermore, we need to ensure that two social workers and one nurse are appointed per school to offer counselling, career guidance, and healthcare, addressing the overall wellbeing of teachers and creating a supportive environment for both educators and learners.
Issued by Leigh-Ann Mathys, National Spokesperson, EFF, 19 September 2024
