The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) will eliminate approximately 2 400 teaching positions due to a severe budget deficit of R3.8 billion, Cape {town} Etc reports.
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Department head Brent Walters announced this in a circular sent to schools on Tuesday, stating that the current number of educator posts in the province is unsustainable.
In the circular addressed to principals, educators, and school staff, Walters mentioned that the 2025 ‘basket of educator posts’ would be distributed on Friday. He explained that efforts have been made over the past year to protect educators despite financial difficulties, including freezing non-educator staff recruitment and cutting expenditures across various areas.
Walters highlighted that only 64% of the wage agreement costs were covered by national funding, leaving the province to cover the remaining 36%. He said, ‘The cumulative impact of the national fiscal emergency and under-funded cost of living adjustments are seriously impacting our continued operations and fiscal sustainability.’
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Education MEC David Maynier expressed that although they are fighting for teachers, the province has been short-changed by the national government. He reiterated Walters’ point about the Western Cape receiving only 64% of the wage agreement cost, resulting in a R3.8 billion budget shortfall.
Maynier added, ‘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.’
Despite implementing a significant R2.5 billion budget cut, the province still faces a R3.8 billion shortfall over the next three years, forcing the reduction of about 2 400 teaching posts in 2025. Maynier stressed, ‘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.’
The allocation of teaching posts will consider individual school circumstances, with communication ongoing this week before the staff post allocations for 2025 are finalised. Maynier mentioned that discussions with teacher unions are in progress, and the matter has been raised at the Council of Education Ministers (CEM) for urgent attention.
Western Cape South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) secretary Sibongile Kwazi criticized the job cuts, stating that the union had earlier rejected the proposal. ‘We don’t believe that the employer applied their mind in making this decision,’ Kwazi said.
She added that Sadtu had proposed alternative solutions to preserve teaching jobs, noting that cuts would mainly affect contract teachers since permanently employed teachers cannot be retrenched. Kwazi suggested converting qualified contract teachers who have held positions for at least three months into permanent roles.
The ANC’s education spokesperson Khalid Sayed condemned the department’s decision, calling it outrageous and likely to destabilise education, particularly in disadvantaged communities. Sayed noted that the ANC had previously raised concerns about the budget in a standing committee meeting, but these were dismissed by department officials.
Sayed questioned why, despite similar challenges faced by other provinces, only the Western Cape is implementing such severe measures.
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