Examining the Effectiveness of Database Recruitment of Unemployed Educators in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa

Abstract

Thousands of Education students complete their first degrees to be professionally qualified educators. They join the education sector each year with great anticipation of finding employment as practicing educators with an aim of improving their families’ lives. Finding employment has turned out to be a serious problem. Most unemployed qualified educators are depressed and tormented by anxiety. The study investigated the challenges faced by professionally qualified graduates with the current recruitment process in South Africa. The study undertook a mixed-methods approach, utilising both the survey and telephonic interviews as data collection tools with forty-four (44) unemployed qualified educators (UQEs) and thirty-seven (37) school principals. Frequencies and percentages were used to analyse the quantitative data and the content analysis technique was employed to analyse qualitative data. Findings revealed that both unemployed qualified educators and school principals are dissatisfied with the current recruitment process. It further emerged that school principals and their school governing bodies were not involved in the recruitment and employment of post-level 1 educators. That is breach of Chapter 3, Section 3(a) of the Employment of Educators Act, Act 76 of 1998. The study recommends that school principals should have access to the database to select suitably qualified educators for interviews and recommendations for appointment to the Head of Department.