Abstracts

97 built a coalition of 62,000 alumni and corps members throughout the 50 regions they serve. Currently, their network includes 14,000 teachers; 3700 school principals, assistant principals, and deans; more than 300 school justice advocates and leaders; 500 policy advocates; and nearly 200 elected officials (TFA, 2020). Their mission focuses on ensuring that teachers who participate in the TFA training and classroom experience use the skills they gained and carry them forward throughout their career, whether as a teacher, principal, politician, or social justice advocate fighting for improved education quality. According to the TEACH South Africa website (2020), the existing TSA model in South Africa has placed only 553 ambassadors in 287 schools across the country since their launch in 2009. The current website for TSA is easy to follow and gives information about the application process and their mission; however, they clearly have not been able to establish themselves well enough to supply a greater quantity of teachers. A rejuvenation of TSA would make an insurmountable difference, so that the existing program can mirror the prominence and efficiency of TFA. Following the TFA model, TFSA would be laid out as a series of consecutive steps. First, the organization would take a hands- on approach to recruiting top students from the best universities throughout the country. Students who express interest in TFSA would apply online, starting in the early fall of their senior year. The application process would involve numerous rounds of interviews along with written essays, as is standard procedure in the United States model. Following admittance into TFSA, college graduates would begin a summer intensive program where they would acquire the skills needed to teach and lead their students. The TFSA program would place emphasis on intensive language learning so that the language barrier in schools is addressed. Following completion of a TFSA training program, college graduates would be placed with an underserved school where they will gain teaching experience and work with the surrounding community for a few years. Implementing a TFSA program not only will help limit the brain drain and encourage the best and the brightest young minds to teach in their home country, but also it will strengthen and professionalize the teaching core for future generations. Conclusion While the South African government has taken measures to drastically increase access to education for learners throughout the country in the postapartheid era, it has failed to ensure education is equal for all regardless of geographical location or socioeconomic status. There are significant disparities regarding access, quality, and outcomes dependent on school atmosphere and resources. Many of these discrepancies stem from the inconsistencies and inefficiencies regarding teacher training and placement and issues surrounding the environment within the SADTU. The unnecessary instability present within the administrative bureaucracy of the DBE is what continues to hold the country back in terms of educational progress, thereby violating the foundation they outlined in their constitution. Steps along the lines, as discussed previously, in three major areas of improvement— Collaboration Schools, restructuring of funding and unions, and teacher development programming—would go a long way toward resolving South Africa’s underperforming educational system. In order to cultivate the bright minds of South African youth and provide students and teachers alike with more opportunities to work together and build a stronger South Africa for future generations, public education should be prioritized, thereby delivering on the government’s promise of equality.