Examining Novice Teachers’ Mentoring Needs Through the Eyes of Experienced Teachers: An African Perspective of Ubuntu

A crisis of teacher retention in South Africa poses significant challenges, prompting this paper to explore the mentoring practices of SMTs towards novice teachers, and potential measures to retain effective teachers. This qualitative study employs interpretative phenomenology to investigate novice teacher mentoring from an Ubuntu perspective, which emphasizes community and interconnectedness. Through semi-structured interviews, SMT members articulated feelings of isolation on novice teachers and observed a desire for guidance from experienced mentors. The article promotes the establishment of a mentoring initiative based on Ubuntu principles, proposing that nurturing and empathetic mentorship may improve retention rates within the teaching profession and cultivate a more cooperative school micro-community.

teacher attrition, mentoring, novice teachers

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