Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube Discusses Long-Term Effects of Budget Cuts

• The Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, pointed out the long-term impacts of the budget cuts the Department is facing
• She said the education system is under immense pressure, and the budget cuts would result in severe consequences in the long run
• he emphasised that the MECs in the provinces have been doing the best they could to shield the departments from the budget cuts

Tebogo Mokwena, a dedicated Briefly News current affairs journalist, contributed coverage of international and local social issues like health, corruption, education, unemployment, labour, service delivery protests and heritage in South Africa during his seven years at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.

JOHANNESBURG—The Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, said the budget cuts the departments will experience will have a severe long-term impact on the country's education system.

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Gwarube addresses budget cuts

In a statement Briefly News saw, Gwarube addressed the budget cuts, which have had far-reaching consequences in the education sector. She revealed that the number of learners in South Africa increased by 292,820 over the last five years, and the Department will battle to accommodate them in the next few years.

"Provincial education departments will, in the next two to three years, find it increasingly difficult to fund their existing basket of posts and existing programmes within the available budget unless measures are taken proactively to mitigate this risk," she said.

How will this affect SA education?

Gwarube shared projected figures of what could happen because of the budget cuts. She said provincial departments will battle to cover their budgets for the 2025/26, 2026/27 and 2027/28 financial years.

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"Most provincial education departments require between R350 million and R3.8 billion over the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework to fully fund their respective basket of posts. The numbers are staggering. If we continue down this path, projections indicate that most provincial education departments will not be able to maintain their respective basket of posts."

Gwarube requests meeting with Godongwana

In a related article, Briefly News reported that Gwarube requested a meeting with Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana.

She said the topic would be to discuss the budget cuts that the Department has experienced, and she also requested meetings with MECs from different provinces.

Source: Briefly News