Teacher perceptions of their ethical responsibility: the balancing of rights

Almost annually, South African education is troubled by strike action and the temporary discontinuation of teaching and learning. While teachers claim their constitutionally protected right to participate in strikes, learners’ equally constitutionally protected right to education is violated. Not only is a tension between these two rights fore-grounded during strikes, but the ability of teachers to balance these rights is questioned. In this article, we argue that the right to education is a facilitative right that naturally assumes greater importance than other rights. However, the centrality of this right does not annihilate the teacher's right to strike; rather, the ability to balance these rights requires ethical competence. Data gathered in the Free State Province reveal that whilst further education and training teachers have conflicting perceptions of their ethical responsibility, there seems to be a need for the re-construction of professional identity through ethical qualities.