THE Democratic Alliance (DA) has blamed the National Treasury for the severe budget cuts education departments are facing across the country, which have resulted in a reduction and non-renewal of teaching jobs and services.
DA spokesperson on Basic Education Delamaine Christians said on Sunday, that the crisis is the direct result of Treasury’s failure to fully fund the 2023 wage agreement leaving provinces to absorb significant budget shortfalls.
“It is unacceptable that provinces are being forced to make difficult decisions because of a wage agreement that was negotiated at the national level but not fully funded,” Christians said.
Currently, the Western Cape is facing a R3.8 billion budget shortfall over the next three years, KwaZulu-Natal is unable to afford over 11 000 educator posts and Gauteng has been forced to reduce learner transport and delay Early Childhood Development (ECD) expansion.
The North West is in need of R485 million, while Mpumalanga has a budget pressure of R876 million.
Free State and Northern Cape have had their budgets cut by 1.8% and 5.8%, respectively, while the Eastern Cape received a limited budget of R42bn for the 2024/2025 financial year
The Limpopo education department has attributed the lagged progress of school infrastructure development to funding constraints due to fiscal consolidation.
Christians said as a result of the shortfall, some contract teachers will not be reappointed after their contract ends, and some permanent teachers may be relocated to fill vacancies at other schools.
She said the national government has a responsibility to protect essential services, including education, and that the underfunding is not only unfair but also threatens the future of South African communities.
“The DA urges the national government to find alternative areas for budget cuts and to ensure that essential public service roles, including those of teachers, are fully protected,” Christians said.
She said her party remained concerned over the potential impact this will have on the quality of education and on the lives of the teachers affected; and will continue to fight for fair funding and quality education for all.
The Western Cape Education department (WCED) announced last month its intention to cut teaching jobs from 37 135 to 34 728, a reduction of 2 407.
WCED’s Superintendent-General Brent Walters confirmed that the department received only 64% of the cost of the public sector wage agreement and subsequently had to fund the remaining 36% itself.
Walters said the costs related to the employment of educators outweigh the department’s budget and that the only choices the department has are to either run into the red financially or to reduce the number of educators in the system.
The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (SADTU) has rejected the department’s proposal with contempt.
SADTU provincial secretary Sibongile Kwazi said that while the union acknowledged the reduction of the provincial budget, it was not convinced that the department had explored all areas for potential spending reduction.
INSIDE EDUCATION
