SADTU WELCOMES MEMBERS AND LEARNERS TO THE 2026 ACADEMIC YEAR
The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (SADTU) warmly welcomes all educators, support staff, and learners to the commencement of the 2026 academic year as school open their doors to learners on Wednesday, 14 January 2026.
We extend a special welcome to learners entering school for the first time, as well as those transitioning to new phases of their educational journey. We wish all our members strength, good health, and renewed commitment as they continue with the noble task of shaping the future of our country.
The start of a new academic year symbolises hope, renewal, and the opportunity to build on the gains of previous years. Despite the many challenges confronting the public education system, teachers continue to demonstrate unwavering dedication, professionalism, and resilience in ensuring that teaching and learning take place under all circumstances. SADTU salutes its members for remaining steadfast in their commitment to quality public education.
We want learning and teaching take place on the first day of school in all schools across the country, but this does not happen as some schools are still waiting for the delivery of learning and teaching materials. Some learners are still in the queues waiting to be registered in schools.
We acknowledge that the 2026 academic year begins in the context of deepening austerity measures. These measures continue to have a severe impact on the basic education sector, resulting in shortages of teachers, overcrowded classrooms, inadequate infrastructure, delayed provision of learning and teaching support materials, and increasing workloads for educators. Teaching and learning will therefore take place under difficult conditions that place immense pressure on both educators and learners.
SADTU remains deeply concerned that austerity measures undermine the constitutional right to basic education and compromise the quality of teaching and learning, particularly in no-fee-paying and rural schools. The continued freezing of posts, budget cuts, and failure to adequately invest in education threaten to reverse hard-won gains made in improving learner performance and access to education.
Despite these challenges, SADTU calls on its members to remain professional, united, and focused on the core mandate of education. At the same time, we reaffirm that educators cannot be expected to do more with less indefinitely. The sacrifice and resilience of teachers must not be normalised or exploited. Government has a responsibility to ensure that schools are properly resourced, staffed, and supported so that educators can perform their duties effectively and learners can learn in safe, dignified, and enabling environments.
As part of SADTU’s I Am a School Fan campaign, we also call on parents, school governing bodies, communities, and all social partners to collaborate with educators and schools to support learners throughout the 2026 academic year. Education is a societal responsibility, and collective effort is required to safeguard the future of our children. We urge communities to be the eyes and ears of their schools; ensure they are safe and that learning and teaching takes place without any disturbances.
As SADTU, we reiterate our commitment to defending the rights, conditions of service, and professional dignity of educators, while continuing to advocate for a well-funded, equitable, and quality public education system. We will continue to engage government and all relevant stakeholders to oppose austerity measures that harm education and to advance the interests of both educators and learners.
We wish all our members and learners a productive, safe, and successful 2026 academic year.
ISSUED BY: SADTU Secretariat