Teachers need autonomy

Tshwarelo Hosia | Monday April 27, 2026 06:00

The system can do better with more faith in the innovative power of the teaching profession. One factor contributing to a school’s academic prosperity is autonomy.

Autonomy makes a school to be inward looking when confronted with challenges. When desperation sets in, the system relies on the improvisation of its teaching force.

Improvisation is synonymous with the teaching profession, and it should be allowed to blossom at all times. Therefore, autonomy should not only be given when resources are scarce, but it should be a way of life even in moments of abundance.

The teaching profession has proven to be a self-supporting practice. It prides itself on its ability to stand on its own feet and shine amidst hostile and unfavourable circumstances.

The profession survived the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 pushed the education sector in the right direction, moving from inertia and comfort to innovation and survival.

Ideas for sustaining teaching when classroom physical interactions were not possible were generated during Covid, and these ideas have become an integral part of the teaching profession. Today, students are getting accustomed to the power of independent research with minimal teacher supervision. And the show goes on. Teaching continues to coexist with emerging challenges. The biggest challenge today is that of budget cuts. The question is whether the profession will hold its own against the present economic crisis.

The answer is yes. Teaching will never cease to generate ideas aimed at self-preservation. The self-sustaining spirit of the teaching profession is clearly evident when schools are under-resourced. Under-resourcing of schools, albeit a distressing experience, is not necessarily a curse.

Under-resourcing challenges the teaching profession to showcase its character of surviving and thriving in the midst of adversity. Although the present global economic crisis is causing anxiety and distress, it presents a golden opportunity for the teaching profession to showcase its versatility and ingenuity. The current global economic crisis should not spell doom for education. In the worst-case scenario, everything else can choke and come to a halt. But education can stand like a candle in the wind. The education train should not only keep moving but also should gather momentum in this time of crisis. Budget cuts have become a common phenomenon under the present adverse economic circumstances.

Exacerbating the situation is the war in Iran, particularly the challenges associated with managing the Strait of Hormuz, which has triggered the global oil crisis. In times of war, education could be a soft candidate for budget cuts.

Despite ongoing budget cuts, doom in education need not be inevitable. Education should be a survivor, capable of withstanding the test of time.

Here is the reason. Education is not a capital-intensive investment. Yes, money is needed to mobilise critical teaching and learning inputs, but resource availability may not necessarily be the main engine driving the teaching and learning process.

The reason is that teaching is a labour-intensive job. It is a human resources-anchored undertaking, heavily reliant on the professionalism and goodwill of the teaching troops. There is an invincible force that propels the business of teaching forward. It is a force that no money can buy simply because it is not for sale.

This is the love that the practitioners have for their job. The intimate relationship between teachers and their profession is the reason it stands out as a noble profession, a shining star on a mountain. In the midst of a crisis, the profession can take solace in the resilience of the classroom practitioners.

Under the present austerity measures, practitioners continue to demonstrate not only their love for the job but also their ability to rise to the challenges at hand.

For instance, in our jurisdiction, financial constraints have imposed a moratorium on external educational tours and extracurricular activities. The extra curriculum activities feature prominently the 21st century skills.

In the light of financial constraints, the teachers are not folding their arms.

They continue to explore alternative means of surviving. This is because learning cannot stop. During the moratorium, the country is witnessing the teaching profession’s innovative prowess. Schools eager to mount education tours have resorted to a strategy of unleashing the potential of locally available resources.

Funds are raised through various activities while parents continue to join the bandwagon. No parent desires to be left behind.

Under trying circumstances, parents have resorted to belt-tightening measures to spare something to meet their children’s educational needs. With the teachers playing a leading role some schools continue to demonstrate their ability to thrive and achieve more with much less.