The political dichotomy of teacher migration : editorial

Abstract

There are clearly identifiable reasons why recruitment between Commonwealth member countries is at significant levels. First, teachers are classified among the highly skilled. Secondly, as the profession of teaching is sadly becoming in most of these countries a profession of least or last choice, teachers who are nationals of their own countries are not staying in the profession, but prefer to work outside of the inner-cities where the challenges of teaching may be the greatest. The converse appears to be the case in South Africa. A Third reason is a theory that in schools where there is a high density of children from various ethnic and multi-cultural backgrounds, it is desirable to recruit teachers of that ethnicity to teach these children. The situation of teachers migrating from their own countries, in response to recruitment efforts, is expected to continue in the future.