The education system is under immense pressure. This was the message from the Department of Basic Education's Minister, Siviwe Gwarube on Wednesday morning during a briefing on the impact budget cuts are having on the education sector.
Budget pressures within the education sector stand between R79 billion and R118 billion.
"Our education system is under immense financial pressure. It’s no secret that in the recent weeks, several provincial departments of education have been vocal regarding the budget pressures they've been facing and these pressures are not just a recent occurrence," said the Minister.
They've been years in the making due to aggressive budget cuts, economic stagnation, fiscal management across government, mismanagement across government which is now affecting our frontline services.
Budget Cuts Affecting Teacher Posts Available
These budget cuts translate to fewer teachers, reduced textbooks and fewer administration support staff which means that teachers spend more time on administrative tasks, leading to a reduction in teaching and learning time. We will then also see larger class sizes which leads to reduced individual attention being given to learners.
The Minister has been appealing to provinces to retain the basket of teacher posts that they have so that frontline services aren't affected. In the Western Cape, they will be reducing the number of available teaching posts by 2 400.
“No person or teacher is retrenched but posts and vacancies are not filled. Where there are vacancies, we need to fill them in order to protect the national education system.”
Gwarube revealed that for the 2025/26 financial year, 4 provincial departments will battle to cover their budget and this number rises as the years progress.
The very fabric of our children's future is now under threat if we continue in this current trajectory.
It's inevitable that learner numbers are increasing. Over the last 5 years, there has been an increase of 292 000 learners across provinces leading to the learner-teacher ratio increasing.
The Minister explains: “An increase in learners without an increase in the basket may affect the quality of teaching which will be reflected in the performance of the system”.
Most provincial departments need between R300 million and R3.8 billion in order to fund respective posts over the medium-term expenditure framework. “If we continue down the path of regressing or underfunding the sector, the progressions indicate that most provincial departments will not be able to maintain their respective basket of posts,” said Gwarube.
Provinces have now commenced with teacher provisioning. This means that once the budget is received, education MECs have to work out how many posts they can afford and these posts are then distributed.
Western Cape, Free State and Mpumalanga have finalised their teacher provisioning processes and other provinces are still in consultations.
Why Budgets Are Under Immense Strain
The Minister also spoke on what has caused the immense pressure provinces are now experiencing when it comes to their budgets and the lack of funds available to ensure that the sector functions as it should:
As a government, we have not made the right decisions at the right point. Our economy has been stagnant for almost a decade. Growth rates have remained below 1% in real terms which is far below what is needed to generate sufficient tax revenue to fund public services, including education.
Due to the lack of economic growth, government revenues has seen decreases which means that budgets are decreased. Gwarube said, "South Africa needs a robust and growing economy. We must adopt and implement economic policies that prioritise growth.”
Our spending priorities need realignment in government. Between 2013 and 2023, the government spent R331 billion bailing out state-owned enterprises. This figure is staggering, especially when you consider the opportunity costs.
Wasteful expenditure and corruption are also major contributing factors to this with Gwarube saying, “South Africa has lost an estimated 1.5 trillion in economic value to corruption”.
Gwarube believes that this money could've been spent on the education and healthcare sector and improving economic infrastructure instead.
She believes that government needs to prioritise increased investment in education, making sure that they focus on upskilling teachers and also investing in technology so that learners are not left behind as we move into a digital age. Unsafe infrastructure needs to be eradicated such as pit toilets as well, said Gwarube.
Provincial Budget Pressures
During the briefing, it was also revealed just how staggering the figures are when it comes to how heavy the budget pressures are in different provinces. The minimum budget pressures per province are as follows:
- Western Cape - R4.4 billion
- Free State - R7.7 billion
- Eastern Cape - R11.8 billion
- Northern Cape - R2.2 billion
- North West - R692 million
- Gauteng - R20 billion
- Limpopo - R546 million
- Kwazulu-Natal - R26.7 billion
- Mpumalanga - R4.3 billion
These are only the minimum figures with major increases being seen as the years progress. "They [provincial education departments] need help because the progressions here are not looking good."
The Minister has had meetings with stakeholders in the education sector to dissect the budget cuts. Gwarube will also be meeting with the Finance Minister to find a solution.
“A solution must be found ... the real solution to this funding crisis in the education sector is a government-wide reprioritisation process."