Teacher union welcomes return of education assistants to public schools across South Africa

The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (SADTU) has welcomed the employment of 200 000 young people, hired by the Department of Basic Education (DBE) as education assistants and general school assistants at public schools across the country.

These young people started working on Monday through the Basic Education Employment Initiative, a flagship programme of the Presidential Employment Stimulus.

SADTU Secretary-General Mugwena Maluleke explained that this initiative was first introduced at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, but was halted in 2024.

“Education assistants provide administrative support to teachers in classroom preparation before lessons, in the classroom during lessons, and manage learners after lessons, while general school assistants support the upkeep and maintenance of school infrastructure.

“We are confident that the return of the programme will once again bring much-needed relief to the teachers, particularly those managing overcrowded classrooms and struggling with the burden of administrative tasks. This support will also allow teachers to devote more time to addressing the individual educational needs of learners.

“We also believe the employment of these young people not only benefits schools, but also offers temporary relief from the growing youth unemployment crisis. However, to make a more sustainable and meaningful impact, we believe these positions should eventually be converted into permanent posts to ensure continuity and consistency in support services.

“We wish to reiterate that these education assistants are not teachers. Therefore, we expect teachers to provide proper clear guidance and supervision in the classroom to ensure the assistants can deliver the appropriate support.

“We encourage these young workers to use this opportunity to develop valuable skills that will benefit them in future employment opportunities,” said Maluleke.

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