If some of the things we’ve been reading about in the news lately are anything to go on, then South African schools are starting to make the high school in Dangerous Minds look like a prep school.

Teachers are being sexually assaulted, students are acting out, and the average take-home salary of an educator is roughly R179 000 a year, which doesn’t amount to much when you have a family to look after.

It shouldn’t really come as a surprise then, that some of our most highly-skilled teachers are leaving South Africa to pursue careers in Abu Dhabi.

BusinessTech reports that a study conducted at the University of KwaZulu-Natal has found that teachers are leaving the country for financial, social, religious, and political reasons.

A big incentive to want to make the move to the United Arab Emirates, is the high salary the Sunday Times said, noting that teachers in Abu Dhabi can earn between R50,000 and R78,000 per month, up to five-times more than a local salary.

South African Council of Educators (Sace) spokesperson Thembinkosi Ndhlovu called the trend a worry for local skills development.

“This has implications for the brain drain and is leaving the country in short supply of valuable experience and good teachers,” he said.

That’s a pretty decent salary – and it’s tax-free. No wonder they’re out of here.

The Cape Town teacher-placement agency SA-Recruitment confirmed that 80 teachers had been recruited for Abu Dhabi posts in the past two years through their services:

Teachers who make the move are provided with housing, medical insurance, and flight allowances for them and their family as part of the recruitment package, the report said.

Additionally, a month’s salary is offered as a bonus for every year they work there and is paid out at the end of their contract.

Fair enough. I wouldn’t turn that down. The problem is that the government doesn’t seem overly concerned.

The National Professional Teacher’s Organisation of SA (Naptosa) executive director Basil Manuel told the Sunday Times that local teachers can easily find employment abroad.

“We don’t believe the government sees this as a problem,” Manuel said.

They might not see it as a problem, but if we consider that in South Africa, roughly 26% of students who have attended school for six years can’t read, I’d say we’re in a bit of trouble.

Losing our best teachers to greener pastures isn’t going to help the situation.

[source:businesstech]