SAs education at risk: Minister Gwarube outlines impact of budget cuts

Source: Unsplash

The minister said this while addressing the media on developments regarding budget cuts in the education sector, in Pretoria, on Wednesday.

“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,” the minister said.

She also moved to appreciate the work that the provinces have been doing around the clock to help the sector get to grips with these challenges.

“I have witnessed MECs work tirelessly with their provincial departments to protect teaching and learning in our schools.”

Challenges

The briefing comes weeks after several provincial Departments of Education have been vocal about the budgetary pressures they face.

These, said the Minister, have been years in the making due to the aggressive budget cuts, economic stagnation and fiscal mismanagement which is now set to impact schools.

“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. In essence, the very fabric of our children’s future is under threat.”

She explained that provinces like the Western Cape have seen the painful decision to reduce the basket of teaching posts for 2025, a move that may result in fewer educators in classrooms.

“This may mean larger class sizes, reduced individual attention for learners, and ultimately, a risk to the achievement of quality education outcomes.”

She added that unfortunately, other provinces throughout the country are in a similar position with many desperately working to find ways of avoiding having to top slice budgets for key services like textbooks, admin support and scholar transport programmes.

“We are faced with a pending national crisis, one that affects not just our learners but our teachers, principals, and broader communities.

“It is crucial to understand that this crisis is not confined to one province or one aspect of the education sector. Every province is grappling with these painful choices.”

Provincial education departments will in the next two to three years, find it increasingly difficult to fund their existing basket of posts and existing programmes within the available budget, unless measures are taken proactively to mitigate this risk.

For instance, she said in the 2025/26 financial year, four provincial departments will battle to cover their budgets; in the 2026/27 financial year, five provinces will battle to cover their budgets. In the 2027/28 financial year, seven provinces will not be able to afford their budgets.

“Several provinces have preserved the same post basket for the past three academic years, despite learner numbers increasing, while other provinces have decreased their posts in the past three years. It is important to note that these have been cuts in posts but not warm bodies.

“Meaning that no person gets retrenched but rather vacancies are not filled,” she said.

Increase in learner numbers

Nationally, the Minister highlighted that the number of learners within the education system has increased by approximately 292,820 over the last five years.

Learner/Educator Ratios have also steadily increased across most provinces.
She explained that an increase in learners' numbers without increasing the post basket, may affect the quality of teaching which may soon be reflected in the performance of the system.

Largely, she added that the financial constraints have had the largest impact on educator provisioning, leading to a steady increase in Learner/Educator Ratios in most provincial education departments.

“Most provincial Education Departments require between R350m and R3.8bn [over the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework to fully fund their respective basket of posts].

“The numbers are staggering. If we continue down this path, projections indicate that most provincial education departments will not be able to maintain their respective basket of posts,” she said.

Interventions

In response to this potential crisis, Minister Gwarube said she convened two special meetings of the Council of Education Ministers (CEM). These meetings brought together education MECs from across the country and they conducted a thorough analysis of the budget challenges in each province.

MECs from each province have compiled provisional provincial reports with sobering results.

“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.

“As a result, I have requested an urgent meeting with the Minister of Finance to discuss the matter further. I am grateful to Minister [Enoch] Godongwana for his cooperation and support on this important matter.

“We are also appreciative of Treasury’s willingness to engage with the Education sector. Ultimately a solution must be found in order for us to protect front line services,” the Minister said.

Gwarube has also requested a convening of a political 10X10 meeting between the Minister of Finance and the provincial MECs for Finance, as well as herself and the nine MECs of Education.

“We must work together with all 10 treasuries to unlock additional funds to alleviate the pressures facing the education sector, even if it is for the short term, and to prevent further cuts to teaching posts and critical support services like school nutrition and transport.

“We also need to look at cross-departmental reprioritisation of budgets from departments that have under-performing programmes – ensuring that funding across government is directed to appropriate national priorities,” she said.

The Minister concluded that while the sector faces significant challenges, “these are not insurmountable. But they require decisive action and an unwavering commitment to putting education first.”

Earlier this month, the Department of Basic Education said that the Minister had held meetings with various international partners to reinforce South Africa's commitment to enhancing the education sector through global collaboration.