Unemployed teachers in KwaZulu-Natal have been protesting outside provincial education offices since January, calling for permanent teaching posts and the cancellation of their NSFAS debt.
Young, qualified educators have been camping in makeshift shelters, carrying banners and placards to demand urgent action as schools across the province struggle to fill critical positions, particularly in mathematics, science, and technology.
The teachers say their skills are going to waste, with many frustrated that they remain unemployed despite completing degrees and teaching qualifications, all while their student loans continue to accumulate. “We have studied, trained, and are ready to teach, but we are left with no jobs and mounting NSFAS debt,” one protester said.
Education unions have voiced support for the protests, urging the provincial government to create permanent posts and consider debt relief measures to retain young, skilled educators. The provincial education department has yet to provide a timeline for addressing these demands.
With protests now entering their fourth month, the situation underscores a growing crisis in KwaZulu-Natal’s education sector, highlighting the urgent need for interventions to fill teaching posts and support unemployed, debt-burdened educators.
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