More than 2400 teaching posts are set to be cut in the Western Cape. The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) revealed that it is facing a R3.8 billion budget shortfall over the next three years. While efforts have been made to reduce costs, the shortfall will result in fewer teachers in Western Cape classrooms.
The WCED’s Brent Walters said these budget cuts will force the department to reduce its number of teaching positions by approximately 2,400 posts by 2025.
The budget crisis stems from a national funding shortfall. The Western Cape has received only 64% of the funds needed to cover the costs of the nationally negotiated wage agreement, leaving the province to cover the remaining 36%. This has resulted in a massive R3.8 billion shortfall in the education budget over the next three years.
We are doing everything we can to fight for our teachers, but we have been short-changed by the national government,
Walters says the province has already imposed budget cuts across various sectors, including administration, curriculum, and infrastructure, in a bid to protect teaching jobs. Additionally, the recruitment of most public service staff has been frozen, schools have been encouraged to convert contract appointments and the appointment of substitute teachers has been restricted.
Despite these measures, the budget shortfall remains critical. The Western Cape has already implemented a drastic R2.5 billion budget cut, yet the gap persists. As a result, the reduction in teaching posts has become inevitable to maintain fiscal stability.
Walters emphasised that the decision to reduce educator posts was not taken lightly, acknowledging the negative impact it will have on learning outcomes.
Teachers are our greatest asset, and reducing their numbers in our schools will negatively impact learning outcomes
The process of determining which posts will be cut is still ongoing, with the department taking into account the specific circumstances of each school. Schools will be notified of their staff allocations for 2025 later this week.
The department says it has been engaging with teacher unions on the issue and has raised the matter at the Council of Education Ministers (CEM), calling for urgent action as these budget shortfalls are affecting provinces nationwide.
We should never have been put in this position, and we will do everything we can to fight for our teachers in the Western Cape.
As schools await final decisions, the looming cuts have sparked concern among educators and parents alike, who fear the impact this will have on the quality of education in the province.
A Crisis Looming
Basil Manuel of the National Professional Teachers Organisation of South Africa (Naptosa) has described the news as a crisis arguing that this will negatively impact teaching in the province.
We are talking about 2,400 plus teachers and there is no way not on this good green earth of the Lord that we can imagine that this will be in the best interest of the child or of schooling in general
The reduction of teaching posts will lead to bigger class sizes and could hurt learning. It will also increase the workload of the remaining teachers.
Given that we have an integrated model where there are children of various abilities in the same class the child with less ability gets less attention because they are crowded out
Manual also dismissed the notion that these budget shortfalls are due to increasing public sector wages describing it as a half-truth.
Of course budgets are determined by the needs of things and I know budgets have been cut however to Simply lump it with with Salaires is disingenuous
Ongoing Struggle
In November 2023, the WCED issued a circular outlining its plans to deal with a budget deficit of more than R870 million in the 2024/25 financial year. This deficit is to cover the costs of the increases in the nationally negotiated public sector wage agreement.
The implementation of these cost-cutting measures means that the WCED will not employ substitute teachers for any reason except for maternity leave coverage. In addition, any Post Level (PL) 1 posts not filled via conversion to permanent positions by 31 March 2024 would be required to follow a formal recruitment process.
This meant that some contract teachers in the province were sent home and will now have to follow formal recruitment processes before they can return to the classroom.
