Nine Thousand Social Workers Unemployed as Learners Face Crisis

By Echos News Editorial Team
Published: May 31, 2026

South Africa’s schools are buckling under violence, overcrowding, and hunger, yet thousands of trained social workers remain without jobs. The Department of Basic Education admits the shortage of psychosocial support is worsening, leaving over a million learners in crisis.

System Under Pressure

Dr Marelize Vergottini of North-West University says classrooms have become unsafe, with trauma now defining the daily experience of many children. She warns that treating mental health support as optional is jeopardising futures.

Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube confirmed in Parliament that psychosocial support is central to learning but expansion is blocked by budget constraints. Only 761 professionals are currently deployed nationally, including 232 psychologists and 54 counsellors, many spread across multiple schools.

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Administrative Stagnation

Regulations to formally recognise school social work as a professional specialisation have been stalled since 2020. Draft rules were released but never finalised, leaving schools without clear guidance. Vergottini says this delay creates uncertainty and disadvantages vulnerable learners.

Daily Maverick reported that questions sent to the department remain unanswered, fuelling frustration among educators and social workers alike.

Fractured Safety Net

Social workers act as the link between teachers, parents, and learners. Yet many provinces only place them in special needs schools, while others have none at all. In some cases, School Governing Bodies pay from their own budgets to hire support staff.

District-based models mean one professional may serve up to 30 schools. “You end up doing crisis intervention all the time instead of proper preventive work,” Vergottini explained.

Teachers say they are overwhelmed. A Gauteng educator told Daily Maverick that many pupils come from horrific backgrounds but no social workers are available. “It would ease our burden and help resolve issues our kids face,” she said.

Policies Without Professionals

The SIAS policy requires schools to identify barriers to learning, including behavioural and psychosocial issues. But in practice, support teams often consist only of teachers. Vergottini says teachers are not trained to handle complex conditions like Conduct Disorder or Oppositional Defiant Disorder.

Without social workers, learners needing therapeutic input are left without help. Low-income areas lack specialists to even diagnose children properly.

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Unemployed Yet Needed

The South African Council for Social Service Professions confirms that about 9,000 qualified social workers are unemployed. Universities continue producing graduates, but fiscal constraints prevent their absorption into the public sector.

Vergottini insists every school should have a dedicated social worker. “This is a necessity, not an extra,” she said. Without them, inequality deepens and children’s futures remain at risk.

Next Steps

Calls are growing for government to prioritise funding and finalise regulations. Experts argue that integrating social workers into schools would provide holistic support, reduce teacher burnout, and give learners a fighting chance.

For now, the gap remains stark: thousands of trained professionals idle, while classrooms across the country continue to collapse under pressure.

Source: Daily Maverick via MSN | By: Takudzwa Pongweni

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