Teachers Must Embrace AI Or Risk Being Left Behind, G20 Education Indaba Told

At a packed convention centre in Cape Town, education experts, teachers’ unions and government officials gathered for the G20 National Education Indaba. The message was clear: artificial intelligence is already reshaping classrooms, and South African teachers must adapt quickly or risk being left behind.

Can AI Replace Teachers?

The question of whether AI could one day replace teachers hung in the air. For some academics, like Professor Mbulungeni Madiba from Stellenbosch University, the concern is whether teachers are even ready for the changes that AI is bringing.

Professor Andile Mji from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology delivered a stark warning: “If we teach our teachers about AI today and invest in that, I guarantee you we will have the best results in the future. AI is moving too fast for us to hesitate. We must embrace it. We do not have a choice.”

Yet others, like Professor Rajendran Govender from the University of the Western Cape, reminded the audience of South Africa’s deep inequalities: “Fifty-eight percent of our schoolchildren don’t even have connectivity or functional libraries. We can’t talk about AI replacing teachers when the basics are missing.”

Local Challenges: Teacher Burnout And Dropouts

Beyond AI, the indaba also shone a light on long-standing cracks in the system. North-West University’s Professor Kotie Kaiser linked the AI debate to South Africa’s teacher crisis. With high dropout rates from the profession and widespread burnout, he argued that teacher training needs to be more flexible and grounded in practical classroom experience.

It’s a sentiment that resonates far beyond university lecture halls. On social media, many teachers echoed frustration over heavy workloads and a lack of resources. One teacher posted on Facebook: “We keep hearing about AI, but what about fixing overcrowded classrooms first?” Another on X (formerly Twitter) wrote: “AI won’t stop me from burning out if I still don’t have textbooks for my learners.”

Minister Gwarube: Funding Still A Barrier

Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube acknowledged the financial reality many schools face. Severe budget constraints, she said, are hampering access to scholar transport, infrastructure upgrades and even basic learning materials.

To help address this, she announced the operationalisation of the new National Education and Training Council, a body of experts tasked with advising her on resourcing models, support for foundation phase schools, and reducing red tape for teachers.

Spotlight On Early Childhood Development

Another central theme of the indaba was early childhood development (ECD). With the Basic Education Laws Amendment (Bela) Act making Grade R compulsory, the sector is under pressure to deliver. Yet provinces like KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo revealed glaring infrastructure and training gaps.

KZN’s deputy director-general Mbongiseni Mazibuko said: “Our ECD centres are not in a state we can be proud of. In rural areas especially, infrastructure is a serious problem.” Limpopo’s MEC for Education, Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya, added that properly trained educators for ECD centres and special schools are urgently needed.

The Bela Act And Equity In Education

For the South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu), the Bela Act is a potential game-changer. Its president, Magope Maphila, argued that better funding for ECD could help close entrenched socioeconomic gaps.

“ECD is a vehicle for addressing disparities in our system. But practitioners must also be paid fairly. Equal pay for equal work is the only way we keep teachers in this sector,” Maphila stressed.

A Balancing Act For The Future

The indaba left delegates with a paradox to wrestle with: South Africa’s education system must embrace AI and innovation, yet it is still struggling to get the basics right from working toilets in schools to qualified teachers in classrooms.

The road ahead may be uneven, but as one Cape Town-based teacher put it in a viral post: “AI is not the enemy. Neglect is. If we get the basics and the training right, then AI can be a powerful ally.”

Source: SABC Daily Maverick 

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