Teachers play a significant role in the upliftment and transformation of our society. They bear the weight and responsibility of teaching, and, apart from parents, are the main source of knowledge and values for children.
As a teacher, you are expected to:
- acknowledge the noble calling of your profession to educate and train the learners of our country;
- acknowledge that the attitude, dedication, self-discipline, ideals, training and conduct of the teaching profession determine the quality of education in this country;
- acknowledge, uphold and promote basic human rights, as embodied in the Constitution of South Africa;
- commit yourself therefore to do all within your power, in the exercising of your professional duties, to act in accordance with the ideals of your profession, as expressed in the SACE Code of Professioanl Ethics; and
- act in a proper and becoming way such that your behaviour does not bring the teaching profession into disrepute.
The Department of Basic Education is working hard to address the multiple and complex challenges that the education sector faces. The Department looks forward particularly to strengthening its support for teachers.
To this end, we have put together a few resources, available on the right, which we hope will be useful in your classroom.
Do you want to make a difference? Then become a teacher.
Teaching is a noble profession that requires passion, commitment, tolerance, perseverance, character and the dedication to make a difference in the lives of a diverse group of young and older children, depending on your choice of phase specialisation. This profession will afford you the opportunity to nurture and mould young and growing minds and to develop a variety of vital lifelong skills in children. Contributing to the academic and social development of children is a fulfilling experience that you should embrace. Go ahead. Make a difference in the lives of children. Choose teaching as a career!
Fore more information on how to become a teacher and the various phases you can select to teach visit the Initial Teacher education page.
Register as an educator
Are you a qualified teacher and want to teach in South Africa? You must register with the South African Council for Educators (SACE). Section 21 of the South African Council for Educators Act, 2000 requires that:
- every educator contemplated by the Act must register with the Council before appointment to a teaching post; and
- no person may be employed as an educator by an employer unless that person is registered with the Council.
If you have foreign qualifications, they must be evaluated by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) before you register with SACE.
For more infomation on registering as an educator please visit the Register as an Educator page.
Invitation to all qualified educators seeking employment
The Department of Basic Education would like to invite all appropriately qualified individuals seeking either permanent or temporary employment in public schools in South Africa to register for the Qualified Educators Recruitment Database.
To register you should complete the form provided and attach certified copies of your teaching qualifications. If you are in possession of qualifications awarded in higher education institutions outside South Africa, you must attach, in addition to certificates, an academic transcript. Read more...
National Teaching Awards
The National Teaching Awards Scheme was conceptualised and launched in 2000 and now enters its sixteenth year of implementation. Through extensive consultation, the scheme has been refined, sharpened, as well as broadened in terms of its frame and categories.
The Department of Basic Education wishes to salute all schools and teachers who have entered the National Teaching Awards since 2000. The Department acknowledges the extraordinary efforts made by the teachers, often in very difficult conditions. The efforts are a service to our children, most of whom come from poor communities. Read more...