GAUTENG education MEC Barbara Creecy says she is worried about poor performances in public schools.

She said this when tabling her R18billion budget speech in the Gauteng legislature yesterday.

Creecy said South African pupils performed dismally in maths, science, computer literacy and languages compared to other countries.

"We compare very poorly internationally and even regionally when compared to Mozambique and Mauritius.

"Many of our learners in Grade 3 and Grade 6 are functioning below the desired levels in education."

Creecy added that there was also a correlation between bad performance and the geographical area where schools were situated.

"The majority, although not all, underperforming schools are in the townships and informal settlements. Parents end up spending a fortune on transport and fees trying to get their children into suburban schools," she said.

"This loss of confidence is an indicator that parents will vote with their feet when it comes to where they think they can obtain the best possible education for their children.

"We need to reverse this."

Creecy also said she was worried about the low number of people training to be teachers and the quality of teachers already in the system.