Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube is expected to meet with her Finance counterpart to find ways to protect the education system from “painful budget cuts”.
It comes as 2 400 teacher posts are expected to be cut ahead of the 2025 academic year, after the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) received only 64% of the cost of the nationally negotiated wage agreement, leaving the province to fund the remaining 36%.
This resulted in a budget shortfall of R3.8 billion over the next three years.
Education MEC David Maynier said the Western Cape wasn’t the only province suffering from budget cuts, as KwaZulu-Natal currently cannot afford 11 092 of their educator posts.
Gwarube’s spokesperson, Lukhanyo Vangqa, on Thursday said that while there was no date set yet for the meeting with Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, it has been noted as urgent.
“The meeting is to discuss ways to, firstly, protect the Education department from budget cuts and, secondly, for more money to be allocated to this important department.”
Vangqa said Gwarube would also have an urgent meeting with all MECs of Education at a special Council of Education Ministers, to find ways of shielding learners from the effects of the budget cuts.
“The fiscal constraints in the country have resulted in the budget cuts that we are experiencing today,” he said.
“The constrained fiscal environment is a result of years of bad policy decisions about our economy, and to get out of this situation, we need good policy choices to be made and better management of both government and the economy.”
Vangqa said the reality was that all provinces were affected by the budget cuts and the impact was being felt across the basic education sector.
Maynier said the province appreciated the leadership and support from Gwarube.
“This is a fight for our teachers, and we hope that others will join us as we approach the National Treasury to address this fiscal emergency,” he said.
National Treasury is expected to respond to queries in due course.
tracy-lynn.ruiters@inl.co.za