by David Maynier
We have noted the contents of both the article by Aslam Fataar, and the claims made by Khalid Sayed last week, in the Cape Argus.
We are not firing teachers, and we are not retrenching teachers.
The reduction in posts will mean that some contract teachers will not be reappointed after their contracts end on 31 December, 2024, and some permanent teachers will be asked to move to another school where there is a suitable vacancy.
We understand that this will result in difficult choices for our schools. We have been engaging with teachers’ unions in this regard over the past month, to ensure that they understand the reason behind this decision.
It is not a decision that has been taken lightly.
We are in this position because 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%.
Despite implementing a drastic R2.5 billion budget cut, including on administration, curriculum and infrastructure, we still face a R3.8 billion budget shortfall over the next three years.
We are in an impossible position, and it is not of our making.
The Western Cape is not the only province affected.
The decision by the national government to not fully fund the 2023 wage agreement has caused a fiscal crisis for education departments across the country.
The extent of the challenge they are facing is publicly available, as the information was presented to the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education in the National Assembly on 20 August 2024.
For example, KwaZulu-Natal has indicated that it currently cannot afford 11 092 of their educator posts. They have a budget shortfall of R4 billion for this year alone, and they have had to reduce Norms and Standards payments to schools and delay paying service providers.
I have raised the matter at the Council of Education Ministers for urgent action, because these budget shortfalls impact all the provinces. I am in contact with Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube, who similarly understands the seriousness of the situation.
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.
* David Maynier, Western Cape Education MEC.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.
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