Name: Hendrik Johannes Hatting

Student Number: 16862805

Module: SAE3701

Assignment 3
Question 1

The Role of Teacher Unions in a Democratic South Africa: A Case Study on Recent
Strikes

In South Africa, since post-apartheid, democracy brought with it a lot of revolutionary

changes in the management of education, which lead to teacher unions becoming
crucial stakeholders.Teachers' unions, such as the South African Democratic Teachers
Union (SADTU), have become strong influencers in the development of educational
policies. They have advocated for improved working conditions, fair compensation, and
professional development of educators. However, the recent teachers' strikes in South
Africa that were created by demands for increased pay, increased investment in state
schools, and improved working conditions, have restarted the debate on the unions'
role. While their role in the promotion of teachers' rights and welfare should not be
disputed, the impact of their actions such as strikes has become an issue of concern
because it leads to a disruption when it comes to learning and teaching. This essay
explores the different roles of teacher unions in democratic South Africa, while also
examining the causes of strikes and evaluating the positive and negative consequences
of union action on the education system.

Firstly, there are lots of reasons for the start of strikes in South Africa when it comes to
education and educators. South African teachers' strikes are typically the combination of
a set of systemic and policy issues. Salary disputes and wage gaps is one such issue.
Teachers often strike because they are unhappy with salary rises that fail to keep pace
with inflation or their workload and experience. The gap between teachers' earnings and
those of other public servants is becoming very wide which contributes to the frustration.
Poor working conditions are another such issue. Teachers are frequently exposed to
overcrowded classrooms, shortages of teaching materials, and overall deterioration of
infrastructure and bathrooms, especially in township and rural schools. Payments and
benefits is a third issue. Failure to pay salaries, pension fund contributions, or
professional development allowances on time makes it hard for teachers to financially
cope which can trigger strike action. There is also an issue that consists of the lack of
professional development in teachers. This causes teachers to often feel inadequately
equipped through continious training and career progression, which results in low
morale and eventual protest. Finally, government austerity policies that reduce
education budgets, leads to fewer funds for schools, smaller class sizes and an
increased workload for educators.
Thus it is important that Teacher Unions exist and that their activities have a positive
impact. Teachers' unions play a significant role in protecting teachers from exploitation
and in promoting fair labour practices. They are involved in collective bargaining
agreements and push for decent salaries and working conditions. Unions are also
oftenly involved in shaping education policies by lobbying for reforms that gear towards
professional development and educational quality improvement. Unions also establish
solidarity among teachers, because they foster a sense of belonging, shared purpose,
and professional identity among educators. They also bring attention to deep-seated
inequities in the education system, including disparities in school funding and
infrastructure that affects marginalized communities. Finally, they can hold the
government responsible for fulfilling constitutional promises to education.

Despite all the positive impacts that Teacher Unions bring, they can also cause a few
negative consequences. They can cause disruptions of learning, because strikes cause
schools to close and result in a loss of teaching time, and this further impact the
performance of learners, spesifically in under-resourced schools where learners are
more reliant on everyday teaching. Prolonged strikes can disrupt the school calendar,
delay examinations, and create curriculum backlogs from which it is difficult to recover.
Repeated industrial actions can erode public trust in teachers and unions and lead to
strained relations between parents, communities, and teachers. In some cases, unions
may be very much aligned with political platforms, forfeiting their objectivity and
undermining merit-based decision-making in education. Unstable schooling due to
frequent strikes demoralizes students and can increase the rates of dropouts,
particularly in poor communities.

Teacher unions in South Africa have been a powerful force since the introduction of
democracy, promoting the interests of teachers and shaping education policy. Through
campaigning, they have made great strides in labour rights, professional standing, and
social justice within the education sector. However, their resort to industrial action in the
form of strikes, even if sometimes inevitable, has extremely serious negative affects,
particularly in South Africa that already has enormous educational challenges.
Balancing the legitimate interests of teachers and students' rights to uninterrupted
learning remains the highest concern. There should be a negotiation between unions,
government, and civil society to achieve long-term advances in education that do not
compromise learning outcomes. Last but not least, teacher unions have to continue
being progressive forces for change, but pursue paths of advocacy that are not
disruptive and that balance teachers' welfare with learners' success.
Bibliography:

 Chisholm, L. (2004). Changing Class: Education and Social Change in Post-

Apartheid South Africa. Cape Town: HSRC Press.
 Deacon, R. (2020). Teacher unions and the politics of education in South Africa.
South African Journal of Education, 40(Supplement 1), S1–S10.

 Higgs, P. & Smith, J. (2016). Philosophy of Education today: An introduction.

Cape Town: Juta.

 Kriel, C., Livingston, C. & Kwenda, C.M. (2023). Codes of ethics and conduct for
teaching practice: A policy framework for South Africa. South African Journal of
Education, 43(Supplement 2), December 2023.
Question 2

Access to Education

Since the end of Apartheid in 1994, South Africa has made a huge amount of progress
in increasing access to education for marginalized groups. To invrease the acces of
education, policies such as compulsory education for children between 7 and 15 years
and the initiation of the no-fee schools policy, which eliminated school fees in
impoverished communities, have been applied by the government. The outcome has
led to almost universal enrolment at the primary level and improved access at the
secondary level.

But with the advances, there are still issues. Though enrolment has been boosted,
retention and completion at secondary and tertiary levels are still issues. Students still
drop out due to poverty, teenage pregnancy, or lack of proper support at home.
Township schools and rural schools typically face infrastructural issues, overcrowded
classrooms, and non-existent transport, all of which hinder constant access. So while
access has grown in terms of numbers, making education meaningful and continuous
for every student is still a work in progress.

Quality of Education

Despite increasing the access to education, the standard of South African education
continues to be unequal. The system remains affected by the legacy of apartheid
inequalities. Schools in wealthier urban areas boast better facilities, better-trained
teachers, and resources than under-resourced township or rural schools.

The Annual National Assessments (ANA) and international assessments like PIRLS
(Progress in International Reading Literacy Study) have identified low literacy and
numeracy rates of South African learners, which are particularly low in the Foundation
and Intermediate Phases. This is cause because of the lack of adequately trained
teachers, poor teaching methodologies, and inadequate learning materials.

Government initiatives such as teacher development, curricular reforms (e.g., OBE to

CAPS), and capital funding for infrastructure have been employed towards quality
improvement. However, problems such as teacher absentees and politicization of
unionized appointments continue to hamper progress.
Equity and Inclusion

Removing historical inequalities and promoting equity and inclusion among learners has
been one of the main aims of education reform in the post-Apartheid era. The South
African Constitution highlights the right to basic education, and policies such as
Education White Paper 6 on inclusive education have attempted and aimed to include
learners with special needs and learning barriers as well.

Significant improvements has also been seen when it comes to gender equality, more
female learners have been enrolling in basic education, with enrollment now the same
as or even higher than that of male learners. Strategies to remove racial disparities in
access to education as well as performance have also been applied.

Still, equality is still being threatened by geography and socio-economic status. Rural
and poor learners continue to experience more challenges in accessing good education.
Special schools for disabled learners are under-equipped. Language deprivation,
hunger, and social issues like domestic violence and drug abuse also continues to
affect learner inclusion and learning.

Policy Reforms and Implementation

South Africa has introduced a lot of different policy reforms in order to reorganize
education. They include the South African Schools Act (1996), Curriculum 2005,
National Curriculum Statement (NCS), Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement
(CAPS), and the Funza Lushaka bursary scheme for the training of new teachers. All
these policies aim to offer uniform quality education and equal opportunity to all.

The persistent stumbling block is the ability to put these policies into practice. Even with
sound policy intent, implementation is once again hampered by weak institutional
capability, lack of accountability, corruption, and political interference, especially at
provincial and district levels. Schools continually suffer from policy overload,
unnecessary curriculum changes, and a lack of support from education departments.

For real change to occur, more emphasis should be placed on capacity building,
monitoring and evaluation, and partnership with civil society and communities. Policy
must be translated into concrete assistance to address the everyday reality of the
schools, the teachers, and the learners.
Bibliography:

 Chisholm, L. (2004). Changing Class: Education and Social Change in Post-

Apartheid South Africa. Cape Town: HSRC Press.
 Department of Basic Education. (2011). Curriculum and Assessment Policy
Statement (CAPS). Pretoria: DBE.
 Fleisch, B. (2008). Primary Education in Crisis: Why South African
Schoolchildren Underachieve in Reading and Mathematics. Cape Town: Juta.
 Higgs, P. & Smith, J. (2016). Philosophy of Education today: An Introduction.
Cape Town: Juta.
 Kriel, C., Livingston, C. & Kwenda, C.M. (2023). Codes of ethics and conduct for
teaching practice: A policy framework for South Africa. South African Journal of
Education, 43(Supplement 2), December 2023.