The Western Cape Education Department has revealed their revised plans for the 2024 academic year following a major cut in their budget from the National Treasury.

The WCED was dealt a heavy blow when the Treasury announced the R716.4 million cut. This is forcing the WCED to cut back on their #BackOnTrack plans which aimed to expand resources for learners in Grades 8 and 10, the parent programme, as well as their Rapid School Build plans, and reduce spending on staffing in the department.

The department on Friday announced that as of 1 April 2024, they would have to stop the provision of substitute teachers, except to cover teachers on maternity leave; stop the provision of post level 1 contract teachers in place of those acting in a vacant School Management Team promotion post, excluding for vacant principal posts; that any vacant post level 1 and public service posts must be advertised in a Vacancy Bulletin, and cannot be filled with a contract appointment.

Education MEC David Maynier says the consequence of this is that the filling of posts is going to take longer, and staff may need to take on extra work.

But he says this won’t stop his department from delivering quality education to the best of their ability. Maynier says: “We will build new schools and classrooms to accommodate the number of learners needing places for the 2024 school year and will still include two new special schools and an additional 28 classrooms at existing schools for learners with special needs in our infrastructure plan.”

Educators Union of South Africa provincial chairperson, André de Bruyn, says the budget cut will lead the system back to the 1970s and 80s when Bantu Education was prevalent.

EUSA chairperson André de Bruyn explained that the system could be damaged severely because of budget cuts. Picture: Supplied

De Bruyn says: “It will lead to us losing qualified teachers who will now move to other countries with their skills. Additionally, it could exacerbate existing inequalities in the education system and lead us back to Bantu Education where the less fortunate are most affected.”

tracy-lynn.ruiters@inl.co.za