- The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) faces a R3.8 billion budget shortfall, risking 2,400 teaching positions.
- Provincial Minister David Maynier vows to fight for these jobs, highlighting the impact of national budget cuts.
- The WCED has taken steps to minimize the impact, but tough decisions lie ahead.
With the future of thousands of teaching positions in the province hanging in the balance, provincial Minister of Education David Maynier says the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) intends to fight for the teachers.
Last week, Head of Department Brent Walters wrote to schools to inform them that due to severe budget cuts the department was unable to maintain the current number of teaching posts in the province.
“We are doing everything we can to fight for our teachers, but we are being short-changed by the national government, receiving only 64% of the cost of the nationally negotiated wage agreement, leaving the province to fund the remaining 36%, resulting in a massive budget shortfall of R3,8 billion,”wrote Maynier.
“We have done everything we can to fight for our teachers by imposing budget cuts across the board, including on administration, curriculum and infrastructure. We have also frozen the recruitment of most public service staff, encouraged schools to convert contract appointments, and restricted the appointment of substitute teachers.”
READ | The latest print edition of the People’s Post here
Despite implementing a drastic R2,5 billion budget cut, the department still faces a R3,8 billion budget shortfall over the next three years.
“To remain fiscally stable we will have no choice but to reduce the Basket of Educator Posts by approximately 2 400 posts in 2025,” says Maynier. “Teachers are our greatest asset, and reducing the number of teachers in our schools will negatively impact learning outcomes, so this is a decision that we have not taken lightly.
“We are going to take the circumstances of schools into account when determining the allocation of educator posts. This process is still underway, and the department is communicating with schools this week before they receive their staff post allocations for 2025. We have been engaging with teacher unions on this matter and we sincerely hope that they will join our fight for our teachers.”
The department has raised the matter at the Council of Education Ministers (CEM) for urgent action in a bid to fight against the budget shortfalls which will impact all provinces. “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,” concludes Maynier.
