WC Education Department Disappointed With Mini-Budget, Teacher Posts Remain at Risk Without Funding

• The Western Cape Education Department were disappointed not to get funding for teacher's salaries
• MEC David Maynier said they look forward to engaging with national treasury about the situation
• As many as 2,400 teaching jobs could be lost in the Western Cape next year due to a budget shortfall

The Medium-term budget policy statement (MTBPS) elicited mixed reactions, with some saying it didn’t focus on the critical issues.

The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has also been left disappointed with the MTBPS, citing that it didn’t provide extra funds for provincial departments.

The WCED needs more than R3 billion over the next three years for teacher salaries.

WCED disappointed with lack of funding

Reflecting on Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s address, Western Cape Education MEC David Maynier expressed his disappointment with one aspect in particular. Maynier noted that the minister's budget did not provide funds for provincial education departments.

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The MEC confirmed they would engage with the National Treasury regarding the fiscal emergency.

Budget shortfall leaves department in crisis

The WCED hoped to get some relief from the budget to address an impending crisis.

Earlier this year, the WCED announced that due to budget cuts, it could be forced to reduce the number of teaching posts starting next year. As many as 2,400 jobs are in jeopardy.

The news sparked outrage among unions and community members, who led protests outside the WCED’s offices. The department, in turn, hoped that the outrage would put pressure on the provincial and national governments.

Not all bad news for education

While provincial education departments will not get funding to relieve their fiscal issues, they are set to receive some for infrastructure.

"We welcome the confirmation of our department’s additional funding from the Budget Facility for Infrastructure, which must be spent to build the new schools that are urgently needed in the Western Cape,” he said.

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MK Party bash MTBPS

While Maynier was disappointed, parties like uMkhonto weSizwe were much more critical of the speech.

Briefly News reported that the MK Party bashed the speech, saying that it was lacklustre and unimpressive.

They also criticised the lack of focus on education, as well as healthcare not receiving a boost in funding.

Source: Briefly News