By Ragheema Mclean
Civil society organisation Section27 has raised alarms over the impending budget cuts, warning that they could severely reverse progress made in South Africa’s education sector.
The organisation expressed its concern following Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube’s grim update on the sector’s financial difficulties, highlighting that several provincial Education Departments are expected to face significant budget shortfalls in the coming years.
Last week, Gwarube said that by the 2027/28 financial year, seven provincial Education Departments may no longer be able to sustain their budgets.
The Western Cape has already announced plans to cut over 2,400 teacher posts from January 2024 due to a R3.8 billion budget shortfall over the next three years.
Furthermore, other provinces are also grappling with budget constraints, which could force reductions in essential services such as school transportation to maintain teacher staffing levels.
Speaking on VOC’s Sunday Live show, Section27 budget researcher Matshidiso Lencoasa stressed the need for government intervention to prevent vulnerable communities from bearing the brunt of these cuts.
“There have been budget cuts towards the education sector, and we were hoping that there would be some differences this time around with the new administration. Unfortunately, her address only confirmed the issues of under-resourcing for basic education,” Lencoasa said.
Lencoasa highlighted that while financial strain is affecting all government departments, education is particularly impacted because it is a constitutionally protected right.
“Since 1994 there has been efforts to overcome overcrowding in schools and increase the availability of education attendance across the country, but with these expected budget cuts, it will certainly impact the access and quality of education.”
“We are urging the government to undertake participatory human rights impact assessments to ensure that the most marginalised learners in the country are shielded from these brutal budget cuts. Currently, they are the ones who bear the burden of under-resourcing and under-allocation towards basic education,” she added.
Listen to the full interview below:
VOC News
Photo: Pexels
