Gwarube seeks urgent meeting with Godongwana over education sector budget crisis

The department says it’s saddled with budget pressures of an estimated R79 billion over the medium-term period, which could increase to over R118 billion.

Gwarube addressed the media in Tshwane, where she warned that provinces will find it increasingly difficult to fund their existing basket of posts and existing programs, over the next two to three years unless drastic interventions are implemented.

“Let me make an example, for the 2025/26 year for provincial departments will battle to cover their budgets. For the 2026/27 financial year, five provinces will battle to cover their budgets. For 2027/28 financial year, seven provinces will be unable to afford their budget.”

Despite an increase of nearly 300,000 pupils in the country's schools over the past five years, the basic education department is battling to fill teacher posts due to the hefty budget cuts.

The Western Cape education department, which faces a R3.8 billion budget shortfall, recently announced measures to reduce teacher posts, which would see the loss of over 2, 000 teaching jobs.

Gwarube warned this development threatens the quality of learning outcomes, as fewer teachers and bigger classrooms go against the desired learner/teacher ratio.

However, the minister explained that contrary to what some may believe, no teachers are being retrenched.

“No person or teacher is retrenched but it means that often vacancies that come into the system are then not filled. But ultimately, where there are vacancies, we must fill them in order for us to protect the system.

“Nationally the number of learners within the education system has increased by approximately 292,000 over the last five years,” Gwarube said.

The basic education minister says she has reached out to the minister of finance, Enoch Godongwana, for an urgent meeting to discuss the budget crisis in the education sector.

Gwarube warned the country's schools are faced with a financial crisis that affects teacher posts now but will trickle down to other areas of the system if not urgently addressed.

She says other interventions included the convening of two meetings of the council of education ministers which helped establish a more accurate picture of the crisis: “Yes, the budget crisis for now may be the provisioning of posts but believe me, in no time it will start to encroach on goods and services, the provision of learning materials like textbooks. So, we have got to do everything in our power to protect frontline services as much as we can.

“In the longer term, we need to make sure that we are fixing the economy which is critical. Education is not just another expenditure, it’s an investment in the country’s future. A well-educated population is the foundation of a prosperous and innovative economy. Without it, we can’t hope to address the unemployment crisis or compete in the global economy.”

She says the following areas must be prioritized: the sector must receive a larger share of the national budget, ensuring that there are enough teachers, quality infrastructure and adequate resources, and teacher development.

Gwarube says she has also asked to convene a political 10-by-10 meeting co-chaired by the ministers of finance and education to try and find short and long-term solutions.

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