Various political parties criticised the decision of the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) to cut more than 2 400 teaching posts in the province.
A special debate was held at
the Western Cape Provincial Parliament on Thursday. The debate of ‘public
importance’ was brought on by GOOD party’s secretary-general, Brett Herron
PICTURE SUPPLIEDThe WCED is preparing to lay
off around 2 407 teachers. Education authorities says a budget shortfall is to
blame. The department says the budget cuts will not only impact the educators
but programmes and infrastructure projects as well.
The ANC in the Western Cape
legislature says the cut will have a devastating impact on education especially
for under resourced schools and overcrowded classrooms.
‘’This crisis did not rise
overnight. The Western Cape’s underfunding of education has been consistent for
years… The impact will be especially devastating for under-resourced schools
where students need more attention, not less. Class sizes will balloon,
individual support will diminish, and the strain on educators will be
unbearable,’’ said Khalid Sayed, ANC leader in the Western Cape legislature.
‘’Let me be clear: while we
understand the need to try and balance the books, this cannot come at the
expense of our children, our economy and South Africa’s future,’’ he added.
The GOOD Party believes that
minor adjustments should be made to accommodate educators.
‘’ It is said that the choices governments make in compiling
budgets reflect their values and aspirations. It is the Western Cape
Government’s choice to cull thousands of teachers posts because it would rather
spend money dabbling in crime prevention,’’ said Brett Herron, GOOD: Secretary
General & Member of the Western Cape Parliament.
‘’It can’t admit that
teachers’ jobs must pay for the theatre of its provincial security force, so it
falsely blames unanticipated public sector wage increases for its shortage of
money.
‘’The disconnect between
provincial budgets catering for wage increases, only for the Department to
announce it is being forced to shed more than 2400 teacher jobs because it
doesn’t have funds to cover wage increases, requires explanation.
‘’Did the government
deliberately table inaccurate budgets before the elections to mislead voters ahead
of the election, or do our political leaders not understand their own budgets? Whichever
it is, what is undeniable is that this government has made unbelievably
uneducated choices with its funding allocations. With better choices no
teachers posts need be lost,’’ concluded Herron.
The Patrotic Alliance says the
real impact on education will be seen in the years to come.
‘’The Patriotic Alliance believe
that we must act swiftly to address the crisis and propose that a multi-party
committee be appointed to engage with national government; resources be
reallocated to disadvantaged communities; implement strategies for dropouts;
mitigate the teacher shortages. Act now to prevent education quality from
decreasing,’’ said Bazil Petrus, Patriotic Alliance MPP.
Western Cape Education MEC,
David Maynier said:
‘’The impact of losing posts
will be significant. We must understand that the national government did not
fully fund the 2023 multi-year public wage agreement, receiving 64% of funds.
Despite implementing drastic budget cuts, we still face a budget shortfall over
the next 3 years. We had to take drastic action to cover the massive budget
shortfall. Daily operations will be hugely affected. The national treasury knew
exactly what their decision would mean in our country.’’
A number of teachers and
learners from various schools across the Western Cape protested outside their
respective learning institutions on Friday, as they are against the
announcement from the Western Cape Education Department that more than 2 400
teaching posts will be cut by the end of this year.
Many held placards with the
words ‘’More teachers, less police’’; ‘’Value teachers, Value education’’.
PHOTO SUPPLIEDDone By: Mitchum George
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