DA welcomes minister Gwarube’s efforts to address budget cuts and protect teachers amid crisis
16 September 2024
The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes the announcement by Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, that she will be meeting with National Treasury to address the severe budget cuts threatening thousands of teacher jobs across the country. The DA has long advocated for the protection of frontline education services, and we are encouraged by the Minister’s commitment to mitigating the impact of these financial shortfalls on the basic education sector.
In the Western Cape alone, more than 2 000 contract teaching posts are at risk due to a R3.8 billion budget shortfall. In KwaZulu-Natal, a further 11 000 teaching positions face the chop an yesterday the Gauteng Basic Education MEC, Matome Chiloane revealed that 3 400 jobs were at risk in that province.
These devastating cuts will not only affect the livelihoods of teachers but will also severely undermine the quality of education for learners, particularly in under-resourced schools.
The DA fully supports the Minister’s plan to meet with Education MECs from all nine provinces and conduct a provincial analysis to understand the impact of these cuts.
We echo the concerns raised by Western Cape MEC David Maynier, who has highlighted how the national government’s failure to fully fund wage agreements negotiated with unions has placed provincial education departments in an impossible position. The Western Cape has been forced to make R2.5 billion in non-personnel budget cuts to shield teacher jobs, but this approach is not sustainable. The province is being short-changed, with national government only funding 64% of the cost of wage agreements, forcing the Western Cape to cover the remaining 36%.
These budget cuts, combined with the recent signing of the BELA Bill, which mandates compulsory Grade R without providing adequate funding, will place immense pressure on provincial education departments. The R17 billion required to implement compulsory Grade R will further strain the already overstretched budgets, threatening to hollow out essential services like school feeding and learner transport.
The DA commends Minister Gwarube for advocating for the necessary financial resources to safeguard our education system from collapse. We cannot afford to compromise on the future of our learners or the jobs of our teachers.
The DA remains committed to ensuring that every child receives a quality education in a safe and conducive environment, and we will continue to engage constructively to make this a reality.
Issued by Delmaine Christians, DA Spokesperson on Basic Education, 16 September 2024
