Are teachers adequately paid?

[bwana]

With least experienced teachers earning an average of R126,720 per year and the average teacher salary residing at just over R16,100 a month for primary school teachers and R17,700 a month for high school teacher, do you think teachers are paid an adequate amount?

 

[RedViking]

With a 30% average. Yes.

 

[Creag]

Probably not enough.

 

[Brian_G]

Haven't had any involvement with schooling for decades, so no real knowledge. They didn't used to get enough, presume it's still the same.

 

[Goosfrabba]

The SADTU comrades are overpaid

The teachers worth their salt mostly find their way to private schools and I imagine get their deserved salary

 

[bwana]

The SADTU comrades are overpaid

The teachers worth their salt mostly find their way to private schools and I imagine get their deserved salary

Last I heard private school teachers often earn less than their public school counterparts

 

[Kosmik]

Other - Hell of a broad brush.

Some are, some aren't, also lots of factors like additional holidays , not full days etc. Very contextual. And public schools have a huge issue with rigid pay structures.

 

[Pineapple Smurf]

Yes
They get a lekker 3 months holiday every year

 

[Sinbad]

No.

 

[netstrider]

For a profession tasked with developing children into future doctors, engineers, lawyers, scientists and more I say no. They should earn similar salaries to those in the professions I just mentioned as they are an important cog in their success or failure.

The education system is also letting them down.

 

[SykomantiS]

No. You want to improve education? Pay your teachers better.
There are other issues at play as well, but if you want to attract talent, make it worth their while.

Teaching and guiding the next generation is actually kind of important- who would have thought....

 

[eg2505]

Hell no, teachers aren't paid well,
but let me open another can of worms here, speaking from personal experience here.

how Good/Bad are teachers at teaching kids STEM subjects?
can they pass the exact exams they make the kids write, Sure some of them can,

but others? ummm I'm guessing no...

so again, for some its a job, and an average paying one, similar to a Data capture or something entry level.
while others see teaching as a calling and take genuine interest and show passion for it,

so again it depends on the individual and school I guess, and I thing that's how they should be paid,
as private school X can afford to hire the best and pay the best, while Township school Y can pay only Y.

 

[neoprema]

Its a complicated answer.
Teachers who actually WANT to teach kids - no, not paid enough.
Teachers who are just there for a free ride and salary and don't care or put effort - they're paid far too much.

 

[Hemi300c]

Other:-
I think that the whole setup needs to be cleaned out first.

There are 100's of Ghost teachers where someone else is collecting the salary
There are teachers which are on the payroll but don't work
There are teachers on "suspension" on full pay for months if not years

Once the above is sorted then there will be more to be divided by the honest hard working teachers.

 

[GMAN03]

Yes
They get a lekker 3 months holiday every year

The trouble is they're effectively forced to take their leave during peak times, doubt I'd want to be doing that in exchange for a bit of extra time off. Going away during school holidays is the worst holiday experience I've had.

 

[noxibox]

The pay should be higher, but so should the entrance requirements. Unfortunately there are no viable methods for measuring teacher performance and a blanket requirement to have a degree in addition to a teaching diploma won't necessarily prevent poor quality teachers getting into the system. On the other hand when you offer only low pay you're guaranteed to have a lot of skilled people who would make excellent teachers choosing some other career path.

Some are, some aren't, also lots of factors like additional holidays , not full days etc. Very contextual. And public schools have a huge issue with rigid pay structures.

Teachers generally do work full days. They're often working in the evenings too. Their holidays aren't really that long either, but it is really irrelevant since holidays are set for the pupils' benefit and teachers don't suddenly stop having the same expenses as everyone else.

 

[Pineapple Smurf]

The trouble is their effectively forced to take their leave during peak times, doubt I'd want to be doing that in exchange for a bit of extra time off. Going away during school holidays is the worst holiday experience I've had.

I will take 3 months off anytime over my 15 days I get

 

[Bewlen]

Are these "salaries" inclusive of benefits, such as housing, medical aid and pension?

And would that equate to as a daily rate, and then extrapolate it to simulate the average man's 15-days holiday per year, instead of the 4 paid holidays the teachers have.

THEN we are comparing apples with apples. Otherwise this article - and these numbers - are fairly pointless.

 

[konfab]

On average, they are grossly overpaid.

https://businesstech.co.za/news/fin...-get-paid-in-south-africa-vs-other-countries/


South Africa has one of the worst performing education systems in the world, if not the worst in non-failed states, yet its teachers are paid very well in comparison to other countries.

All of this is because the dept of education changed the incentives. Instead being paid on the performance of their students and the number of years they have been teaching, they are paid according to how well their colleagues think they are doing, and oh, they can choose who can evaluate them.

 

[surface]

Last I heard private school teachers often earn less than their public school counterparts

Surely, this depends on private school? Is it a private school in someone's backyard or is it Reddam/Crawford type of private?