The Democratic Alliance (DA) has expressed support for Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube’s decision to engage with National Treasury regarding severe budget cuts that threaten thousands of teaching jobs across South Africa.
This comes after Gwarube held an impromptu meeting with all five teacher unions last week, to reassure them of her commitment to protect the basic education sector from further financial strain.
‘’I am working very hard to ensure we have a full understanding of the impact of the budget cuts in the sector. I am determined to work with Treasury to ensure that we cushion the blow on front-line services in the sector.
‘’Additionally, we must place data-driven evidence before my Cabinet colleague, the Minister of Finance and to find innovative ways to avoid further cuts to the education budget but to explore ways to do more with less,’’ said Gwarube.
According to Delmaine Christians MP and DA spokesperson on Basic Education, the DA has consistently championed the protection of front-line education services and welcomes Gwarube’s commitment to mitigating the adverse effects of these financial constraints on the basic education sector.
Christians said in the Western Cape, over 2,000 contract teaching positions are at risk due to a R3.8 billion budget shortfall.
While KwaZulu-Natal faces a similar crisis with 11,000 teaching positions under threat, Gauteng’s Basic Education MEC, Matome Chiloane also revealed that 3,400 jobs were at risk in the province, she said.
Furthermore, Christians said these cuts not only jeopardise teachers' livelihoods but also threaten the quality of education, particularly in under-resourced schools.
The DA supports Gwarube’s plan to collaborate with Education MECs from all nine provinces and conduct a provincial analysis to better understand the impacts of these budget reductions, she said.
"The DA fully supports the Minister’s proactive approach and remains committed to ensuring that every child receives quality education in a safe environment.
‘’The financial strain placed on provincial education departments by national government’s partial funding of wage agreements has led to unsustainable budget cuts. We are deeply concerned about the future implications for education services," Christians said.
In the Western Cape, MEC David Maynier highlighted that the national government's failure to fully fund negotiated wage agreements has forced the province to make R2.5 billion in non-personnel budget cuts to protect teaching jobs.
This shortfall leaves the Western Cape covering 36% of the wage agreement costs, which is an unsustainable burden.
In addition, Christians said the recent enactment of the BELA Bill, which mandates compulsory Grade R without adequate funding, will exacerbate budget pressures.
The required R17 billion for implementing compulsory Grade R will further strain provincial budgets, potentially affecting essential services such as school feeding and learner transport, said Christians.
The DA commended Gwarube for her advocacy and efforts to secure necessary financial resources to prevent the collapse of the education system.
Christians noted that the party remains dedicated to ensuring that all learners receive quality education and will continue to engage constructively to achieve this goal.
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