It has a minimum shortfall of R79bn: R11.8bn in the Eastern Cape, R7.7bn in the Free State, R20bn in Gauteng, R26.7bn in KwaZulu-Natal, R546m in Limpopo, R4.3bn in Mpumalanga, R2.2bn in the Northern Cape, R692m in the North West and R4.4bn in the Western Cape.
Gwarube said the result was fewer teachers, less textbooks and led admin staff. The department has already experienced teacher shortage for years.
“The future of our children is under threat if we continue on this trajectory. We have appealed to provinces to retain the posts they have for us not to effect frontline services, or compromise the education outcomes we want to improve,” she said.
She warned provinces will find it difficult in the next two to three years to fund their existing posts and programmes in their available budget unless measures are taken to mitigate this risk.
“Most provincial departments require between R350m to R3.8bn over the medium-term to fully fund their posts.”
LISTEN | Broke education department stops hiring more teachers
Image: The Times
The basic education department will not fill vacant teacher posts and needs money urgently to fund teachers in the system, but the minister insists no retrenchments are expected.
It needs between R79bn and R118bn. Basic education minister Siviwe Gwarube told journalists the government needs to prioritise sectors such as education and health and cut from departments that are “not yielding impact or absolutely critical” to cover the billions needed by the department.
Listen to Gwarube explain:
It has a minimum shortfall of R79bn: R11.8bn in the Eastern Cape, R7.7bn in the Free State, R20bn in Gauteng, R26.7bn in KwaZulu-Natal, R546m in Limpopo, R4.3bn in Mpumalanga, R2.2bn in the Northern Cape, R692m in the North West and R4.4bn in the Western Cape.
Gwarube said the result was fewer teachers, less textbooks and led admin staff. The department has already experienced teacher shortage for years.
“The future of our children is under threat if we continue on this trajectory. We have appealed to provinces to retain the posts they have for us not to effect frontline services, or compromise the education outcomes we want to improve,” she said.
She warned provinces will find it difficult in the next two to three years to fund their existing posts and programmes in their available budget unless measures are taken to mitigate this risk.
“Most provincial departments require between R350m to R3.8bn over the medium-term to fully fund their posts.”
Gwarube said the “government had not made the right decisions at the right time”.
“Our economy has been stagnant for almost a decade. South Africa needs a robust, dynamic and growing economy to generate what is required to fund public services such as the education sector.”
She blamed the bailing out of state-owned enterprises between 2013 and 2023, which she said could have funded education, health care and economic infrastructure.
She also blamed the corruption of the past decade, adding: “Over the past 15 years our public sector salary increases have consistently outpaced inflation.”
The department has requested an urgent meeting with the National Treasury to find short- and long-term solutions on the budget crisis.
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