From being heroes of the people to scum of earth

THE difficulties faced by teachers in education have clouded whatever good the government has done in the sector since the advent of democracy, a Nelson Mandela Bay teacher says.

The teacher, who preferred to remain anonymous, taught at city schools for 36 years and felt her first 16 years of teaching were much better.

"I cannot say exactly when the change happened, but the profession has changed. I feel like teachers have been relegated from glorious beings who were respected in the community to scum of the earth at the mercy of pupils, parents, unions and government," she said. - Zandile Mbabela