WC teachers’ jobs saved: Common sense prevails

26 November 2024

The GOOD Party welcomes the announcement by Western Cape Finance MEC Deidré Baartman that money in the Western Cape Budget will be reallocated to education.

In the Medium-Term Budget Policy statement, Baartman outlined that R250 million would be allocated towards compensation of educators and a further R600 million was made available within the WCED’s budget to deal with their immediate teaching post and learner enrolment pressures.

As GOOD we have maintained that this is a self-made and avoidable funding crisis.

The Western Cape Provincial Government’s claim that national government’s budget cuts left them with no choice but to cut 2,407 teaching posts from January 2025, was not true and clearly no longer defensible.

Instead of using the money given to the Western Cape by the National treasury, the Provincial Equitable Share, for education on education the Western Cape has borrowed two percent of this money to spend on other things.

As GOOD we welcome that common sense has prevailed and that funding has been “found” in the short term to save teacher jobs.

However, the work is far from over.

The Province will need to go back to the drawing board for the main budget to be tabled in 2025.

The MEC claims there will still be a R1.19 billion shortfall in 2026.

The Province needs to work towards saving teacher posts, in order to grow education access as demand grows.

Access to education is a pathway to a better life.

As GOOD, we will continue to call for a thorough assessment of the province’s spending on its Safety Plan.

The Province has already spent at least R2 billion (“borrowed” from education and health) on its Safety Plan since 2019, without coming close to achieving its key performance indicator: Halving the number of murders by 2028.

As GOOD, we need an assessment of the Safety Plan including public engagement on how to better deal with rampant crime.

We need a real and implementable battle-plan to address issues of under-development, and the development of safer environments.

Yes we need law enforcement, but we also address the root causes of crime.

Issued by Brett Herron, GOOD: Secretary-General & Member of the Western Cape Parliament, 26 November 2024