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The Public Servants Association (PSA) joins the global community in commemorating Teachers’ Day 2026, recognising the invaluable contribution teachers, lecturers, and educators make towards development and the future of society.

The 2026 theme, “Uniting for Excellence, Elevating Achievement, and Empowering Educators to Shape South Africa’s Future”, highlights the vital role educators play in shaping the Country’s future and the need to ensure that they have the support and working conditions required to fulfil this responsibility. 

Educators work under increasingly challenging circumstances. These include overcrowded classrooms, shortages of resources, infrastructure challenges, administrative pressures, safety concerns, and growing behavioural and social challenges amongst learners. At the same time, many learners face poverty, inequality, food insecurity, violence, limited access to technology and learning materials, and challenging social and family circumstances. These factors affect learning and place additional pressure on educators, who are often call upon to provide support beyond traditional teaching responsibilities. 

The PSA urges government to prioritise the education sector by ensuring that critical vacancies are filled, sufficient numbers of qualified educators are recruited and retained, and educators receive the resources, professional development and support they need. Safe and properly maintained schools and learning institutions, manageable workloads, and reduced administrative pressures are essential to allowing educators to focus on their primary responsibility of teaching, developing, and empowering learners. 

Education is a shared responsibility, and strong partnerships can contribute towards learner achievement. This is particularly important in the TVET sector, where colleges play a critical role in equipping young South Africans with the skills needed to access employment, contribute to the economy and build sustainable futures. 

The PSA calls for greater and sustained investment in making teaching and lecturing attractive and sustainable professions for young South Africans. Addressing educator shortages requires long-term planning and a commitment to fair treatment and decent working conditions. Uniting for excellence also requires meaningful collaboration between government, educators, parents, learners, and communities.

Issued by the Public Servants Association