Violence at schools, extortion, looming budget cuts and the failure of provincial education departments to ensure that learning takes place. These are some of the challenges which were highlighted during recent oversight visits Parliamentary Committees on Basic Education in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape.
Eastern Cape School Violence
In the Eastern Cape, Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube expressed her concern about the rising violence in schools.
The Minister explained that the acts of violence that occur in schools are often indicative of the surrounding community. She revealed that the Department of Basic Education is collaborating with the Minister of Police to address some of the challenges that lead to school violence.
The DBE had adopted a multifaceted approach against a difficult fiscal environment in dealing with the matters of safety and that includes working directly with the Minister of Police, Mr Senzo Mchunu,
The committee also discussed the problem of extortion in schools, bullying, and robberies targeting teachers, particularly in the Nelson Mandela Bay area. The Department is committed to improving online safety education and tackling corporal punishment.
Committee Member Pat Sibande argued that the prevalence of extortion shows a weakness in school security.
I agree with your approach, but I am wondering if the department could not have security personnel deployed and kitted with gadgets that are directly linked to the nearest police station.
Teacher Posts In Western Cape
Meanwhile, in the Western Cape, the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education expressed concerns about the planned cutting of teacher posts for 2025 and the delayed placement of learners.
The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) recently announced that it will reduce the number of educator posts available for the 2025 school year, Which is expected to impact more than 2400 teachers.
According to the WCED, the decision resulted from a significant budget shortfall caused by the national government's failure to fund the 2023 wage agreement for teachers fully. This shortfall has left provinces like the Western Cape bearing the brunt of the cost, leading to drastic measures to balance budgets.
Minister Gwarube is working with education unions and the Council of Education Ministers (CEM) to address the impact of these cuts on the education sector. They are also collaborating with the National Treasury to minimise the effects on frontline services like teaching.
Teacher unions emphasised the need for funding adding that education should be protected from cuts. Chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Basic Education, Joy Maimela, expressed concern about how these cuts will affect the quality of education, adding to existing issues like overcrowded classrooms, infrastructure problems and school safety.
During visits to schools in Nyanga-East, Khayelitsha, and Delft, the committee noted that 170 high school learners had only been placed halfway through the year, and critical teaching posts in subjects like Mathematics and Science are set to be cut.
Chairperson Maimela criticised the WCED for not ensuring there was teaching taking place.
It is unacceptable that these learners did not have a teacher in front of them for half of the school year.
The chairperson also slammed the absence of provincial education officials during the visit and emphasised the urgency of addressing these issues.
It is unacceptable that the province is not present. That is unacceptable. We informed the province about our programme for the upcoming three days, so they could not schedule their meeting during that period.
Despite the challenges, the committee commended Roosendaal High School in Delft for its innovative projects which included a coding and robotics programme and partnerships with local and international organisations.
"This is the first school with strong linkages with several local and international partners. It sounds like it is in sync with the environment it is situated in."
