Abstract
During and after the Covid-19 pandemic, the South African Department of Basic Education appointed almost 300 000 teacher assistants to help teachers deal with the challenges caused by the pandemic in primary schools. The job description of an assistant teacher differs from school to school, and this variation leads to misinterpretation and confusion regarding what the role of an assistant teacher really is, consequently, these human resources are not always managed well. This good initiative by the Department Basic Education is compromised if assistant teachers are not fully utilised in schools, and if they do not enhance effective and efficient teaching and learning.
This research study intended investigate the utilisation and management of assistant teachers in mainstream primary schools. The research questions relate to the role assistant teachers play in primary schools, what positive and negative outcomes there are when assistant teachers are used, and what guidelines can be formulated to enhance the effectiveness of assistant teachers in mainstream primary schools.
The study followed a generic qualitative approach that used convenience sampling; data were collected through observations and interviews. Thematic content analysis was used to clean and interpret the data.
Findings were that there is no clear job description for assistant teachers to guide the school management team on how assistant teachers should be managed. The lack of generic guidelines for schools causes discrepancies between the ways schools apply their assistant teachers. Furthermore, communication between teachers and assistant teachers need attention. It became evident in the study that assistant teachers were still in training and that, if they received the correct guidance, they could become effective teachers.
A study like this can assist in creating a guideline or policy for all mainstream primary schools on how to manage assistant teachers, so that effective teaching and learning can take place. This policy can be recommended for all mainstream primary schools to use, so that there is consistency in how they manage assistant teachers.