Educator supply and demand in the South African public education system: integrated report

Education plays a key role in the development of any society. Responding to the need for empirical evidence on the demand for and supply of public educators in South Africa, the Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) commissioned the Human Sciences Research Council-led consortium to conduct nation-wide research on the factors determining educator supply and demand in South African public education system. Growth demand for educators depends on learner enrolments and the learner-educator ratio, while replacement demand for educators depends on employment trends, demographics and attrition (including morbidity and morality). Educator supply depends on a number of factors, such as education graduates, morbidity and morality, and educators returning after a break from the profession. This report is an integration of the seven reports which emerged from the research, and pulls together the findings arising from it. What emerges is that the resignation, death and ageing of the present educator force is likely to have a significant effect on replacement demand for educators over the next four years.