Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube believes regulatory bodies are important for professionalisation of educators. She says such entities make sure that teachers act with integrity.
Gwarube was speaking at the 9th Biannual World Conference of the International Forum of Teaching Regulatory Authorities.
The three-day event is under way in Boksburg, Ekurhuleni.
Various issues including teacher professionalism, regulation, ethics, innovation and the future of education systems will be discussed. Gwarube also touched on the ethical use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the education sector.
“One of the key messages that I had was that we need to make sure that we deal with the issue of artificial intelligence (AI), in terms of its impact on education. We can’t replace AI, we can’t necessarily ignore AI and that we’ve got to embrace it. However, it’s very, very important that we make sure that we don’t embrace AI at the expense of the teaching profession. There’s no artificial intelligence that can ever replace an ethical, qualified educator in a classroom.”
Meanwhile, Gwarube questioned how the teaching profession can retain its integrity.
“How do we make sure the teaching profession retains its integrity especially when we’ve seen scenarios where teachers have been accused of heinous things? Regulatory bodies need to make sure that school leadership is prioritised, it needs to be people who adapt in financial management, who understand what the requirements of school leadership are. And of course one of the other key things that have been facing our education sector is some of the accusations that would come against teachers, either because of the use of violence in disciplining learners or even sexual violence.”
This morning I welcomed education leaders and teacher regulatory authorities from across the world at the International Forum of Teacher Regulatory Authorities (IFTRA) Conference.
Under the theme “Strengthening the Teaching Profession and Teaching Councils,” the forum provides… pic.twitter.com/4wBiDWCO1L
— Siviwe Gwarube (@Siviwe_G) June 17, 2026
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