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Issued by the Education Labour Relations Council Results of a comprehensive survey of factors determining Educator Supply and Demand in South African Public Schools Media Release The Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) commissioned this study following worrying anecdotal reports that indicated that educators seem to be leaving the education profession in large numbers. Some of the reasons that were suspected for this included low morale, job dissatisfaction, AIDS and premature mortality. Following consultation and agreement among members of the ELRC, a consortium, consisting of the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Mobile Task Team on the Impact of HIV/AIDS on Education (MTT), was commissioned to investigate the validity of these anecdotal reports. The ELRC consist of the National (and provincial) Department of Education, the South African Democratic Teachers Union, (SADTU), the National Professional Teachers Organisation of South Africa (NAPTOSA), the Suid Afrikaanse Onderwysers Unie (SAOU), and the National Teachers Union of South Africa (NATU). The researchers produced seven reports, listed below. The results largely confirm these anecdotal reports, and the key findings are outlined below. Educators considering leaving the profession The HSRC conducted a national survey of 21 358 educators in more than 1 714 randomly selected school; 97% of educators agreed to participate. This survey revealed that 55% of educators have considered leaving the education profession due to inadequate remuneration, increased workload, lack of career development, professional recognition, dissatisfaction with work policies, job insecurity. The factors that prevented educators from considering leaving the profession were participatory decision-making, unity among colleagues in their dedication to teaching, and discipline among learners. Attrition and mortality A parallel report by the MTT, Educator Attrition & Mortality in South Africa, provides the first overview of trends based on primary data contained in government payroll databases and registers. The aim was to estimate gross educator attrition rates and trends, by cause, age and gender, in South African public schools between 1997/98 and 2003/04. The average number of educators in the system has declined over the last seven years, from 386 735 to 368 548 in 2003/04, largely due to a reduction in the number of temporary educators in the system. Attrition (total loss) in the educator workforce fluctuated over this period. The national rate was 9.3% in 1997/98, declining to 5.5% in 2000/01, before rising again to 5.9% in 2002/03. The three largest causes of attrition were contract termination, resignation and mortality. However, excluding contract termination, the proportion of attrition due to mortality (all causes) increased from 7.0% in 1997/98 to 17.7% in 2003/04. The proportion of attrition due to medical reasons grew from 4.6% to 8.7% over the same period. The proportion of educators who resigned accounted for 53% of all terminations – excluding contracts – by 2003/04. This emphasises the great need for skilled educators – particularly those trained in English, Mathematics, Science and Accountancy – as demand, fuelled by AIDS impact, increases in other sectors. By 2002/03, around 21 000 educators were leaving the system annually, although up to a third of these may re-enter the system after six months or more. “This analysis confirms patterns of educator attrition and mortality consistent with the high levels of HIV-prevalence in South Africa”, said Peter Badcock-Walters, co-director of the MTT and research project director. Teaching and learning environment Factors affecting teaching and learning reveal significant disparities in conditions, both within and between provinces. Large class sizes of about 46 are reported in Limpopo (64%), Mpumalanga (60%) and Eastern Cape (59%) in contrast to Northern Cape (22%) and Western Cape (22%). Urban/rural disparities in class size were also observed: 60% of rural educators, compared with 24% of urban educators, reported teaching classes with more than 46 learners. School fees also affect the teaching and learning environment. The wealthier provinces such as Western Cape, Gauteng and Northern Cape have higher annual school fees averaging approximately R800, in stark contrast to poorer provinces such as Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga, which averaged R150. An analysis of matric results over a three-year period indicates that the wealthier provinces (Western Cape and Northern Cape) obtained high percentages (above 86%) while the poorer provinces such as Mpumalanga and Eastern Cape got less than 60% matric pass rate. HIV/AIDS among educators Based on a nationally representative sample of 17 088 educators who gave an oral fluid or blood specimen for HIV testing (response rate: 83% of educators), 12.7% are HIV positive; if sex and age are taken into account the figure is not significantly different from that of the general population. "African educators were most likely to be HIV positive compared with the other groups; they were also most likely to be part of low economic status and more likely to be placed in rural areas without their families", Dr Olive Shisana, the principal investigator and Executive Director of the HSRC said. The key findings arising from the survey carried out by the HSRC and MRC are: HIV prevalence is the highest in the 25–34 age group (21.4%), followed by the 35–44 age group (12.8%) (Fact Sheet 6). More than a fifth (22.0%) of the HIV-positive educator population would need immediate antiretroviral therapy, which is 10 000 of 356 749 educators (Fact Sheet 7). The overwhelming majority of educators (75%) did not drink alcohol in the past 12 months; 20% are classified as low-risk drinkers; and 5.3% as high-risk drinkers (Fact Sheet 5). The proportion of educators absent from work for longer than ten days was highest among those diagnosed with TB in the last five years, high-risk drinkers, and those with lung or breathing problems, heart disease, diabetes, cancer and anaemia. The burden of absenteeism on the education labour force was mainly due to high blood pressure, followed by smoking, being HIV positive, stomach ulcers, arthritis or rheumatism, and high-risk drinking. Low morale at the educational institution, intention to quit teaching, low job satisfaction and high job stress are strongly associated with a higher number of self-rated absenteeism and 'presenteeism' (unhealthy days, or unproductive/unwell at work) (Fact Sheet 1). The health status of educators is apparently poorer than that of the general population, considering that 10.6% had been hospitalised in the previous 12 months. This is higher than the 7% observed in the general population in the Nelson Mandela/HSRC study of HIV/AIDS. The most frequently reported diagnoses in the last five years before the study were stress-related illnesses such as high blood pressure (15.6%) and stomach ulcers (9.1%) (Fact Sheet 4). The study revealed that two-thirds of educators who were considering leaving the education profession were in the scarce fields such as technology, natural sciences, economics and management. Reasons quoted include low job satisfaction, job stress and violence in schools (Fact Sheet 1).
Determinants of HIV infection The HIV epidemic seems to be driven by multiple sexual partnerships (particularly among men), low and inconsistent condom use, having significantly younger (among men) sexual partners, migration and mobility (spending nights away from home), and gaps in knowledge of HIV transmission. Mr Dhaya Govender, General Secretary of the ELRC, stressed the importance of this study, saying, "If South Africa cannot curtail the levels of infection and progression of HIV/AIDS among its teachers, the consequences will be bequeathed not just on the present generation of learners, but also on future learners, adding immeasurably and unnecessarily to poverty and social stagnation in the following decades". Workplace policies The study also investigated workplace policies to determine their responsiveness to HIV/AIDS among educators. After reviewing all key Department of Education’s (DoE) workplace policies as well as two unions’ HIV/AIDS policies, the HSRC report concludes that the transformation of the education sector has been on the whole successful especially in the policy making arena. The major criticism was centred on the difficulty in implementing the new policies. In relation to HIV/AIDS, there were some concerns expressed about some important issues that are not covered in the policies. (Fact Sheet 8). From the interview-based survey of educators, the majority was aware of some DoE workplace policies or directives, such as giving sick leave to educators (87%) and prohibition of sexual relationships between educators and learners (64%) as well as the DoE’s HIV/AIDS policy (65%). However, they were not aware of their unions’ policies (46%). A slight majority of the educators (52%) had attended HIV/AIDS training and workshops on life skills education and 48% had ever taught a class on HIV/AIDS. An overwhelming majority of all educators were willing to teach their learners about human sexuality and safe sex practices. A minority of the educators indicated that their school had an AIDS Committee (39%), had a system for replacing absent educators (31%) or were aware that the DoE provided care to educators with drinking problems (22%) (Fact Sheet 9). Recommendations Some of the major recommendations emanating from the study are that the Department of Education, with the support of the unions, should consider to: Restructure remuneration packages, reduce workload and manage job stress of educators. Improve resource allocation to poorer schools, especially African schools, and provide psychosocial support for educators. Set up a comprehensive workplace health care programme. Embark on a targeted, positive prevention and ART programme for educators. Improve on the implementation of HIV/AIDS and related policies and programmes.
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