The most valuable resource in education is dedicated, well-trained teachers

Happy World Teachers’ Day to the more than 485,000 educators in South Africa. Today, we are reminded of the simple truth that no education system can be stronger than the people who stand at the front of its classrooms.

Last week, we also celebrated the 26th National Teacher Awards, an important moment in our national calendar to honour the excellence of our teachers who serve our children every day.

Emerging from that celebration was Ms Mpho Mosala of Letlotlo Primary School, our 2026 National Teacher of the Year. Her achievement represents the excellence, commitment and professionalism that exists in classrooms across South Africa.

We congratulate Ms Mosala and all our finalists and award recipients. More importantly, we thank every teacher, including those whose names will never appear in a newspaper, for the extraordinary work they do.

Most of us can remember a teacher who saw something in us before we saw it in ourselves; a teacher who encouraged us to dream beyond the circumstances into which we were born. This is the extraordinary societal function of teachers – they can help transform the child of a domestic worker into a doctor, engineer, scientist, entrepreneur or even a president.

The true architects of a nation

This is why International Teachers’ Day, National Teacher Appreciation Month and the National Teacher Awards are important moments for us to pause and recognise the true architects of a nation.

Recognition tells a society what it values. It tells professionals that their excellence is seen. 

But excellence must travel. The practices of an exceptional teacher must become knowledge that can be shared with others, so that what is exceptional in one classroom can increasingly become normal across our education system.

Over the past two years, we have undertaken a strategic reorientation of basic education under the strong foundations for strong futures strategy.

We have made significant progress on this front. More than 13,300 ECD centres were registered last year alone, against a target of 10,000. ECD registration has grown by 200% since 2021. About 1.2 million children are now accessing registered ECD programmes and will enter formal schooling able to hold a pen and ready to learn.

We are investing R10-billion in ECD subsidies and a further R496-million to create 115,000 ECD spaces in three of South Africa’s most rural provinces, the largest such ECD fund on the planet.

We are training 10,000 foundation phase teachers in literacy and numeracy and strengthening support for reading and mother tongue-based bilingual education.

But none of these interventions succeeds without teachers.

Our teachers are working in a world experiencing extraordinary economic, technological and demographic change. Artificial intelligence cannot replace a quality teacher in a classroom. 

The most valuable resource in our education system is a dedicated and well-trained teacher, who is supported to deliver a quality curriculum.

Administrative burden

This is why I have also listened to teachers when they speak about the administrative burden they face. Teachers are not data capturers; they cannot and should not spend a large portion of their time on paperwork. I made a commitment to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy by reducing the number of reporting tools in our schools, so that more of our teachers’ time can be devoted to what matters most: teaching and supporting learners.

We are finalising a circular that will be issued to schools and will significantly reduce the administrative burden on teachers.

But with the privilege of teaching comes the profound responsibility of protecting children. There can be no compromise on teacher professionalism, ethical conduct and the safety of learners. That is why I want to call on every teacher in the country to urgently subject themselves to vetting against both the National Child Protection Register and the National Register of Sex Offenders. Too few teachers have been vetted, and that poses an intolerable risk to the safety of learners in our schools.

To each and every teacher in South Africa, I want to thank you for showing up when circumstances are difficult. Thank you for staying after school to help a struggling learner. Thank you for encouraging the child who wants to give up, and thank you for making the classroom a place where possibility becomes real.

As the saying goes, a teacher is like a candle that consumes itself to light the path for others. I know this personally from my own grandmother, who was also a teacher. She consumed herself to light the path of others — including mine. I am who I am today because of that great woman, MaWushe, ndiyabulela Mama.

To Ms Mpho Mosala: congratulations. Your achievement belongs to you, but it also belongs to the profession you represent and to all 485,000 of our educators: happy World Teachers’ Day and happy National Teacher Appreciation Month. DM