South Africa’s economic province Gauteng faces an estimated shortfall of 370 teachers in critical technology subjects.
This came to light at media briefing to outline the state of the province’s education system, with education MEC Lebogang Maile divulging persistent challenges in the system.
In Gauteng, learner enrolment more than doubled from 1 408 237 in 1995, to over 2.8 million in 2026, driven by urbanisation and migration into the province, said Maile.
The continued growth in the education ecosystem places further pressure on a department that’s already confronted by issues like overcrowding, infrastructure backlogs, weak learning outcomes and teacher shortages.
Maile noted that another “very serious” challenge pertains to teacher quality.
He commented that teacher quality in Gauteng is uneven, driven by shortages of qualified educators in key subjects (especially maths, science and technology), overcrowding and resource constraints.
“Under-resourced schools face particular difficulty recruiting and retaining skilled teachers, with additional risks from an ageing workforce.
“Gauteng, like the rest of the country, faces a severe shortage of STEM [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] teachers, which is constraining the rollout of technical subjects in schools.
“Although the department continues to advertise posts requiring relevant teaching qualifications and South African Council for Educators registration, shortages in specialised subjects remain acute.
“There is also strong demand for foundation phase teachers, especially those proficient in African languages, as well as English teachers across the province.”
Maths, science and engineering are considered as critical building block subjects for skills needed for ICT and STEM professions.
Similarly, teachers qualified to impart knowledge in these subjects are an important factor in education.
The MEC explained that teachers drive learning and engagement, shape classroom climate, adapt teaching to learner needs, build critical thinking, and provide mentorship that supports holistic development.
“The number of department-employed teachers increased from 46 048 in 1995 to more than 71 209 in 2026 – an increase of over 55%. Continued growth and overcrowding require additional appointments. However, national fiscal consolidation has limited adjustments to the post establishment over the past five years.”
To address some of these challenges, Maile said the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has developed and adopted a five-year strategic plan.
The plan, he said, outlines the GDE’s strategic focus and provides a framework for measuring performance. It details how the framework will be operationalised over the next five years through the accompanying Gauteng medium-term development plan.
“A stronger and modern education system is at the centre of these priorities. It is for this reason that the provincial education plan focuses on the integration of technology into the curriculum, promoting critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
“This will ensure learning is relevant to the real world and will prepare our learners for future challenges and opportunities, equipping them with the knowledge and skills necessary for success in a rapidly changing world.”
The department is also introducing support strategies to improve all phases of the curriculum.
The first of these is the general education and training (GET) language and mathematics strategy, which incorporates the reading component, he said.
“The GET strategy locks in the gains made in language and mathematics in the foundation phase, which includes the ‘read to lead’ campaign, library services, the ‘book flood’ campaign and the grade eight and nine mathematics strategy. Key focus areas of the strategy include monitoring and supporting the utilisation of mathematics and language lesson plans and providing technical support to educators.”
The second of the support strategies is the maths science and technology (MST) strategy, which aligns with the national MST strategy and implementation plan, stated the MEC.
“The strategy seeks to improve learner participation and success in MST subjects, teacher demand, supply, utilisation and support, the provisioning of resources, establishing partnerships, and the monitoring, evaluation, qualitative and quantitative research.”
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