Abstract
Embracing 4IR in the education system has become mandatory considering the COVID-19 pandemic. Because this is a 'revolution' many science teachers have been caught off guard and may harbour mixed feelings regarding their roles and what the future has in store. The current qualitative study sought to establish newly qualified science teachers' beliefs about their roles in science classrooms where 4IR is embraced. An online questionnaire was administered to 60 participants to establish their preparedness and competencies, resource availability, and future professional prospects. Data was subjected to content analysis and three themes emerged: 1. Teachers believed that the government and the Department of Basic Education's stance to embrace 4IR is a vehicle that promotes unequal education opportunities for science learners. 2. Most of the science teachers believed they were not technologically prepared to embrace 4IR tools such as AI, coding and robotics. 3. The science teachers believed that too much utilisation of technology in a science classroom demeans the actual teaching and learning of scientific concepts. The findings contribute towards the call to change the status quo on the disparities between urban, rural, township and suburban schools in terms of resource distribution and teacher professional development.