Western Cape's education sector bolstered by 19 000 new teaching assistants

Basic Education Minister, Siviwe Gwarube, is cleaning up house as she instructs all MECs and Heads of Provincial Education Departments to submit comprehensive plans addressing irregularities in school personnel management.

This comes just as the Western Cape will welcome 19 000 new teaching assistants.

DA Western Cape spokesperson on Education, Leon van Wyk, said they welcome the 19 000 new teaching assistant positions in schools, focusing on vulnerable areas to improve academics and provide jobs.

"By placing 19 000 teacher assistants in vulnerable schools, we are not just tackling youth unemployment, but also directly enhancing the quality of education,” he said.  

In her plight to clean up her house, Gwarube has started rigorous oversight and has called for a completed recovery plan, which must be submitted ahead of the next Council of Education Ministers (CEM) meeting, scheduled for July 21.

She has also instructed all MECs and Heads of Department to fully account for their performance in key service delivery areas, including: disbursement of statutory school payments, school allocations, restoration or continuity of basic services at affected public schools, such as electricity, water, security, learner transport, and the National School Nutrition Programme.

“The education sector is under extraordinary pressure. Without urgent intervention and robust financial planning, several Provincial Education Departments risk becoming insolvent before the end of the current financial year. There is no room for complacency,” she said.

In response to the Cape Argus on the proposed plan, Western Cape Education MEC David Maynier said: “We have received the letter from the national minister, and will respond with the required information in due course.

“We agree entirely with Minister Gwarube’s statement that provincial education departments are facing severe financial strain due to a decade of chronic underinvestment by the national government. Fiscal pressures are building up in provincial education departments across the country, and we faced a massive financial deficit last year. Our department made difficult decisions to cover the shortfall, while still protecting critical support to learners such as school meals, learner transport, and school Norms and Standards payments.”

Maynier added that their learner transport and school feeding programmes continue without disruption.

Brett Herron, GOOD Party, Secretary-General and MP welcomed the move. 

“Despite allocating R101 billion to education over the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), our schools were struggling under the weight of increasing enrolment, overcrowded classrooms, and a shortage of teachers."

Get your news on the go, click here to join the Cape Argus News WhatsApp channel.

Cape Argus