Incorporating, embedding a child welfare push

Tshwarelo Hosia | Tuesday December 9, 2025 08:02

Some quarters might perceive the shift as an additional burden, an ambitious mission that cannot be accomplished in light of the education sector’s history of academic underachievement. Critics are saying that the child welfare agenda would assume centre stage to the detriment of the very vital core of boosting academic achievement levels.

In their view, coupling the child welfare component with academics would overstretch and spread meagre resources far and wide, thin, with the risk of achieving little impact. Why not strengthen and sharpen the classroom instructional machinery before delving into the new aspect of placing emphasis on best child-rearing practices, they ask rhetorically? To start with, the well-being of students has always been an integral part of the teaching profession.

The Ontario school leadership framework confirms this when asserting that school leadership has an intimate link with student learning outcomes as well as the well-being of students. Teachers have always treated their students like their own children. It is in the DNA of teachers to feed, clothe, counsel, guide, and motivate their students.

However, the new nomenclature of the Ministry of Child Welfare and Basic Education seeks to attach an even higher premium on the welfare of students. This means the work that teachers have been doing is now openly acknowledged as a critical foundation upon which academic learning can be anchored. Nonetheless, there are concerns that child welfare issues might thrive and prosper at the expense of academic endeavours. These are also legitimate concerns surrounding teacher capacity, teaching workloads and provision of adequate resources to smooth the task of handling with some degree of proficiency, the dual responsibilities. Concerns raised are worthy of attention. If left unattended to, the concerns could dampen the morale of the teaching troops. Teachers are the heartbeat of the teaching and learning enterprise. Their fears matter, and so are their voices.

There is a need to engage critical stakeholders and create a common understanding of the necessity to embed welfare to the academic DNA. The goal is to create an environment where teachers become co-creators and co-drivers of the new teaching and learning culture. There is an urgent need to allay fears raised. The academic component is not in danger but stands a better chance of enjoying a symbiotic relationship with its twin component - the well-being of children. The truth of the matter is that placing attention on child welfare matters is a game-changer poised to achieve a high impact on student learning outcomes. Pushing the welfare agenda does not mean being out of academic focus. It means prioritising the holistic needs of children while sustaining the pedal on academics. The two components of child welfare and academics are not mutually exclusive endeavours. These are complementary and mutually reinforcing school activities. The benefits that would accrue from a child welfare-academic programme are quite enormous for students and teachers, teacher unions and communities.

The new programme should not be seen and interpreted as a directive from above but as an opportunity for the teaching profession to adjust and adapt to new emerging challenges while maintaining its core business of ensuring that children enter schools and graduate successfully.

No profession should remain static when the world under its feet is changing. While the teachers have historically navigated child welfare issues without any proper training, the Ministry of Education has an obligation to offer training to teachers on Child Welfare 101, offering basic training on the well-being of students. This also presents a platform for collaborative relationships among the various principal actors, which would in particular, see social workers joining the fray. The days when teachers were left to their own devices in their child-rearing and teaching duties are now over.

Now there is a golden opportunity for smart partnerships with social workers, which would result in cross-pollination of ideas between the two noble professions. Upskilling of teachers in this regard is no longer an option but a requirement. There is a compelling case for an open dialogue with teachers so that their genuine concerns can be heard. The rights of teachers to be heard as they participate in the shaping of the emerging education landscape is paramount. The child welfare- academic push would ease the burden on teachers instead of exacerbating workloads. With little training on child welfare matters, teachers are hitherto overburdened by rising cases of student bullying, drug abuse, dropouts, desertion and poor student learning outcomes, among others.

Workshops and boot camps should be arranged as a matter of urgency to build teacher capacity on critical areas of child wellbeing, such as identifying signs of bullying, stress, fatigue, abuse and hunger. Detection does not necessarily offer solutions, but an opportunity for making referrals to the relevant authorities. Expanding the frontiers of the Ministry of Education not only creates opportunities for continuing professional development but also widens pathways for promotions and recognition.

Traditionally, recognition of teachers focused solely on academic performance. But now there is an opportunity for teachers to be recognised as child care champions. Certificates would be awarded for empathy, kindness, problem-solving and many other valuable attributes.

The welfare academic programme is anchored on the premise that learning thrives when children are safe and secure, well fed and heard. There would be no extra work but joint ventures and collaboration with experts from relevant entities. Care embedded in the daily teaching and learning routines would improve learning outcomes and create happier schools . Child Welfare is not a distraction or detour from the norm but a fuel for learning. Teaching essentially represents love and care. Caring is not alien to the teaching profession.