Alleviating the intensification of Educator workload through internships: the relieve Educators administrative demands (READ) – Model

Abstract

In this paper the researchers report on the findings of a descriptive survey study aimed at establishing the perceptions of purposively selected South African educators (n = 300) from the Gauteng Department of Education regarding their workload linked to curriculum demands. In addition, the researchers report on the extent to which the Department of Education supports educators in fulfilling their duties and if internships could be a possible solution to alleviate the intensification of educators workload. The findings revealed that educators are burdened by an increasing administrative and professional workload for which limited support is Provided. Based on the findings, a novel approach that centers on the use of internships to assist educators in dealing with workload demands is recommended. The implementation of the recommended Relieve Educators Administrative Demands (READ) model is discussed.