By Nkosana Khumalo
Pretoria, South Africa — As South Africa’s education system faces severe financial challenges, Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube has urgently called for a meeting with Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana to discuss the ongoing budget crisis. This comes amid mounting pressures on provincial education departments, which are struggling to maintain teaching posts and key educational services.
Speaking at a media briefing in Pretoria on Wednesday, Minister Gwarube highlighted the grim reality facing the education sector. “The Deputy Minister and I have been in constant engagement with provinces to support them during this challenging fiscal environment. We have committed ourselves to doing everything we can to stabilise the system and have appealed to provinces to retain the basket of posts, in order to not compromise education outcomes,” she stated .
The Impact of Budget Cuts
The education sector has been hit by a series of budget cuts over recent years, exacerbating inequalities and placing a strain on the provision of critical services. Provinces like the Western Cape are already planning to reduce the number of teaching posts for 2025 due to a shortfall of R3.8 billion, resulting in a potential loss of over 2,000 teaching jobs. This reduction is expected to lead to larger class sizes, diminished individual attention for learners, and overall lower quality of education .
The cuts are not limited to teaching posts. Reduced budgets also threaten essential services such as textbook provision, administrative support, and scholar transport. Gwarube stressed that “these budget pressures are not just numbers on a spreadsheet — they translate into fewer teachers, reduced textbooks, and fewer admin support staff, which means teachers spend more time on admin work, thereby reducing learning and teaching time” .
Provinces Grapple with Financial Constraints
Provinces across the country are struggling to meet their financial obligations. Gwarube warned that without significant intervention, the situation will worsen. By the 2027/28 financial year, as many as seven provinces may not be able to fund their education departments. This comes despite a 292,820 increase in student enrollment over the past five years, which has placed additional pressure on an already overstretched system .
The Minister noted that provincial departments have been trying to avoid retrenching teachers by not filling vacant posts, but this solution is proving unsustainable. “While no teachers are being retrenched, the failure to fill vacancies is compromising the quality of education. Larger class sizes and overworked teachers are leading to a steady decline in the learner/educator ratio,” she added .
Efforts to Mitigate the Crisis
In response to the looming crisis, Gwarube has convened two special meetings of the Council of Education Ministers (CEM), which brought together education MECs from across the country. These meetings provided a clearer picture of the most pressing budget challenges faced by the provinces and allowed for the development of provisional reports detailing these issues. “For the first time in a decade, we now have a clearer picture of where the most significant budget pressures lie and how we need to engage Treasury in a bid to address the challenges we see,” Gwarube stated .
One of the key interventions proposed by the Minister is a political “10X10” meeting, involving the Minister of Finance and provincial MECs for finance and education, to explore cross-departmental reprioritisation of funds. This would redirect resources from under-performing departments to education in order to alleviate immediate budgetary pressures. Gwarube emphasized the need to unlock additional funds to prevent further cuts to crucial services like school nutrition and transport, which are vital for disadvantaged learners .
Broader Implications
The budget cuts and financial challenges facing the education sector are not only a threat to learners but to the broader community. Education is a fundamental pillar of national development, and Gwarube underlined its importance in addressing long-term economic issues such as unemployment. “Without a well-educated population, we cannot hope to tackle the unemployment crisis or compete in the global economy,” she warned .
As the country grapples with these challenges, Gwarube remains hopeful that a solution can be found. She expressed her gratitude to the Treasury for their willingness to engage with the education sector and stated her commitment to working with all stakeholders to stabilize the system. However, she cautioned that the path forward will require tough decisions and unwavering dedication to putting education first .
International Collaboration
Earlier this month, Gwarube also met with international partners to reinforce South Africa’s commitment to improving its education system. These discussions focused on collaboration in key areas such as teacher training, resource provision, and infrastructure development, with the aim of bolstering the country’s capacity to deliver quality education despite financial constraints .
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