Teachers breaking as social workers, NGOs collapse around schools

South Africa is grappling with a multifaceted crisis involving teachers, social workers, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that support schools. The teacher shortage is not isolated, but rather a symptom of a broader issue eroding the entire system of care surrounding schools. Overworked teachers, inadequate remuneration, and an overwhelming administrative burden are driving them away.

Nearly half of public school teachers are aged 50 or older, and more than 17,000 teaching positions were vacant in January alone. However, the pressures extend beyond the classroom, as teachers are increasingly asked to handle issues like abuse, parental alcoholism, gangsterism, drug use, and pregnancy, even in primary schools. They must attempt to secure assistance from social workers when dealing with these vulnerable children.

The state's psychosocial support network in public schools is extremely limited, with only 761 professionals serving around 12.8 million pupils. This is not enough, and the NGO sector has traditionally filled this gap. However, these NGOs are now collapsing, leaving teachers to bear the brunt of the responsibility. The department of social development, which is supposed to oversee social welfare, is already stretched thin, further compounding the issue.

NGOs, with their established networks, trust, specialist knowledge, and local reach, are crucial to the welfare delivery system. When NGOs close and their case files are transferred to the department, it often means little continuity of services due to the department's capacity limitations. For example, Lifeline Vaal, an NGO that has served the Vaal triangle for 44 years, was unable to pay its staff in April.

In KwaZulu-Natal, NGO funding was reduced from R755 million to R695 million in a single year. The Western Cape's Child Protection Alliance warns that five years of frozen subsidies amount to a real-term reduction of 20% to 25%, causing several offices to close. Schools rely on services like those provided by the South African National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (Sanca) to provide outpatient treatment, allowing children to remain with their families and continue attending school.

When these services are unavailable, schools are left with few options, including suspension and exclusion. These measures can push already vulnerable children further away from the education system. Policymakers must recognize that child protection functions as a network, with teachers identifying warning signs, school social workers coordinating responses, and NGOs providing specialized services.

Without NGOs, the entire system begins to fail. The South African government must address this crisis by placing a school social worker in every school and finalizing regulations governing school social work, which have been drafted since 2020 but remain unfinalized.