In Cape Town, a child living on the Cape Flats does not always wake up to the certainty of safe passage to school. Gang violence, poverty and systemic inequality shape whether learning can even begin. Classrooms are disrupted not by bombs, but by bullets, hunger and fear. I think of a pupil I taught, Kaylin. She grew up in a suburb on the Cape Flats that was once presented by the apartheid state as a model “middle-income” area but is now home to over 300 000 people facing high levels of crime and substance abuse. Her home life was modest, well below the middle‑income standard many of her peers enjoyed. Her mother lives with severe disabilities and could not support her schooling.
From Grade 9 to 12, school became Kaylin’s refuge. She faced persistent psychological bullying and exclusion. Teachers provided a meal, guidance and care. Kaylin never wavered in her commitment to learn, even on days when gunshots rang out nearby. She graduated as the top achiever in her year and is now studying biology at university. Her story is not unique. It reflects what is possible when schooling persists in difficult conditions, not just teaching and learning but the provision of nutrition, care and support.
Across South Africa, many learners arrive at school hungry, worried or anxious. For them, school is more than a place of learning, it is a source of hope, safety and stability. A 2023 nationally representative Parent Power survey of 1,705 parents conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council found that the school experience remains overwhelmingly positive for most South African children. More than four in five parents said their children enjoy going to school and are eager to learn; 83 % reported that their children like and respect their teachers and get along with other learners. Less than one-fifth (17 %) of parents felt their child was not safe at school, while 24 % identified bullying as a problem, meaning that most experience their schools as safe. Most parents also felt that teachers listen to their concerns and show respect towards both parents and learners. These findings underscore how many schools and teachers provide a stable, caring environment even amid the insecurity and inequality many families face. In a society divided by crime, inequality and distrust, teachers often become the most consistent adult in a child’s life.
Research shows that education in times of crisis – like the ongoing conflict in Sudan, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where violence displaces millions of families and forces schools to close – provides psychological safety and a sense of normality for children whose worlds have been disrupted. When teachers are empowered, connected and supported, they become multipliers of change. A single teacher does not just influence the learners in their classroom; they shape families, communities and the future trajectory of society. Many teachers around the globe teach under impossible conditions — in refugee camps, under trees, in makeshift shelters and sometimes even online amid active conflict. These acts are rarely celebrated, but they are profound demonstrations of professional commitment and human resilience.
Here in South Africa, teachers do the same in quieter ways every day. When gang violence flares up in the Cape Flats, or xenophobia and looting spread fear, learners still turn to teachers for support. It is impossible to separate the academic role of a teacher from the emotional and character-building role we hold. In times of great uncertainty, a teacher is often the only adult a child can safely ask for help. But teachers can’t do this alone. Teaching can be an isolated profession. Many educators carry the emotional weight of their work alone. When teachers gather in communities of practice, sharing strategies, reflecting on challenges and learning from one another. Teaching stops being an individual struggle and becomes a collective movement rather than an individual burden. Transformation in education often begins in these spaces: in conversations, shared strategies, and small shifts that ripple outward into schools and communities.
South Africa must move beyond viewing teachers solely as curriculum deliverers and instead:
· Invest in structured teacher networks and communities of practice at district, provincial and national levels,
· Provide ongoing psychosocial support and counselling services for teachers,
· Recognise and resource schools as hubs of care, including support services such as social workers and nurses.
In a world where millions of learners are denied the right to education, every functioning classroom becomes an act of resistance against inequality. Every teacher who continues to show up, adapt and innovate is part of a global story of resilience.
Teaching, in these moments, is more than a profession, it is an act of practising hope. We honour the learners who persist despite uncertainty. As educators, we may not control the forces shaping these realities. But we do shape what happens within our classrooms, our schools and our networks. Because in uncertain times, the world does not only need better policies or stronger institutions. It needs teachers who continue to believe that education can change lives. Teachers CAN. And together, teachers will.
About the author: Michael Sterksen is the Network Mobiliser for Teachers CAN.
Published in News24: https://www.news24.com/opinions/columnists/opinion-when-the-classroom-disappears-how-teachers-show-the-power-of-hope-20260527-0567