Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga on Monday said the trend of teacher absenteeism from classrooms across South Africa is marginally growing and remains a cause for concern.
Motshekga made the remarks in Pretoria, where she was releasing findings of the 2017 School Monitoring Survey (SMS) - described by the department of basic education as "a scientifically sound and independent barometer" to measure the success or lack thereof of the basic education sector".
The 2017 SMS found that the national average for teacher absence on an average day was 10%, with wide variations noted within primary and secondary schools, as well as across provinces and quintiles.
Motshekga said these numbers were deeply troubling and that more had to be done to support our teachers.
The Northern Cape, North West and Eastern Cape have recorded the highest percentage of teacher absenteeism.
The survey, however, notes that the national absence rate in South Africa "is roughly in line with international norms and that the small change compared to what was measured in 2011 should not be interpreted as evidence of a systematic or substantial increase in teacher absence."
The survey was conducted in a nationally representative sample of 1000 schools offering Grade 6, as well as in a nationally representative sample of 1000 schools offering Grade 12. Only schools categorised as public ordinary schools formed part of the sample.
- African News Agency (ANA)
