Dr Marelize Vergottini
South Africa’s school system is collapsing under the weight of violence, trauma, severe teacher shortages, overcrowding, hungry learners and infrastructure failure. Reports show that learners and teachers are being failed by systemic collapse that undermines learners’ development, safety, academic performance and long-term potential, while leaving teachers burnt out. These realities strengthen the case for the urgent recognition of school social work as a specialised field, and for the immediate deployment of these practitioners in schools.
For more than six years, the finalisation of regulations to recognise school social work as a professional specialisation has been unacceptably delayed, despite draft regulations being released for public comment in 2020. This continues to create deep uncertainty in the sector and directly disadvantages vulnerable learners who rely on psychosocial support in schools.
The collapse of school feeding systems is one of the clearest indicators of this crisis. The National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) has experienced severe disruptions in several provinces, leaving thousands of schools and millions of learners without meals. Data from Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) confirms that hunger is a daily reality for 16,3% of children nationally.
At the same time, the pressure on educators continues to intensify. Severe teacher shortages are destroying learning conditions, while overcrowded classrooms compound the problem.
Across these structural failures, there has been a concerning rise in school-based violence. The long-term impact on children is profound.
Trauma and poverty severely hinder cognitive development. Nationwide, six out of every 10 children experience trauma during childhood, and more than 13 million children live in poverty.
Taken together, these pressures define a system in collapse. The need is urgent, the evidence is overwhelming, and the consequences of inaction are borne by the country’s most vulnerable population.
Every school should have a school social worker as part of its staff – this is a necessity, not an “extra”.
■ Vergottini is a senior lecturer in Social Work at the North-West University (NWU).
