The Minister of Basic Education, Ms Siviwe Gwarube, delivered opening remarks during the official opening of the 9th Biannual World Conference of the International Forum of Teaching Regulatory Authorities (IFTRA) at the Birchwood Hotel and OR Tambo Conference Centre in Boksburg, Gauteng Province.
Hosted by the South African Council for Educators (SACE) in partnership with the Africa Federation of Teaching Regulatory Authorities (AFTRA) and IFTRA, the Conference, which took place from 17–19 June 2026, brought together education leaders, policymakers, teaching councils, regulators, researchers and strategic partners from across the globe. Robust deliberations took place on matters relating to teacher professionalism, regulation, ethics, innovation and the future of education systems to reflect on challenges and opportunities facing the education and teaching profession globally, whilst reflecting on matters relating to teacher professionalism, ethics and regulations.
The participation of Minister Gwarube underscores South Africa’s commitment to strengthening the teaching profession and advancing quality education through collaborative leadership, professional excellence, and international cooperation: “I welcome education leaders and teacher regulatory authorities from across the world at the IFTRA Conference. Under the theme: “Strengthening the Teaching Profession and Teaching Councils,” the forum provides an important platform to share knowledge, strengthen professional standards, and advance the regulation of the teaching profession. As we work to improve learning outcomes, there can be no quality education system without quality teachers”.
Minister Gwarube added that “we need to make sure that we deal with the issue of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its impact on education. We cannot ignore AI and need to embrace it; however, we need to make sure that it is not at the expense of the teaching profession. AI can never replace an ethical, qualified educator in a classroom. So, we may use AI in the system as a way of being able to create a better working environment for teachers to ease their administrative burden, but there is never a scenario they will be replaced”.
The second day of the IFTRA 2026 World Conference on 18 June 2026, began with school visits in Katlehong, providing delegates with an opportunity to engage directly with teaching and learning environments at the grassroots level. The first visit of the day took place at Naledi Pre-Primary School, where delegates observed early childhood development practices and gained insight into the school’s role in laying a strong foundation for learning within the community. The school visits formed part of the Conference programme aimed at promoting knowledge exchange, collaboration, and the sharing of best practices in support of strengthening the teaching profession and teaching councils globally.
Although many challenges are country-specific, certain challenges cut across such as teacher shortage, and in respect of teacher quality, as well as teacher development to ensure fit for purpose teachers, adapting to the technological changes and advances along with the necessary resources to support teaching and learning.