Basic education minister Siviwe Gwarube hopes the department will receive some form of budgetary reprieve when the finance ministry delivers its medium term budget policy statement next month.
Gwarube visited the province as part of her National Listening and Learning Tour.
“We know the minister of finance has other balancing acts to perform. But we believe education and health are critical portfolios, and we need to do every thing we can to protect our frontline services,” she said.
Gwarube was accompanied by her deputy Dr Reginah Mhaule, KwaZulu-Natal education MEC Sipho Hlomuka and senior government officials who visited the Anton Lembede Mathematics, Science and Technology Academy in La Mercy, north of Durban.
She said contrary to the belief budget cuts only occurred in 2024, the education sector has long being plagued by systematic financial woes.
“This is especially challenging in places like KZN which has the most amount of learners and teachers in the entire country. When there are fiscal constraints in the country they feel the pinch the most. Gauteng and the Western Cape are no match to KZN in terms of learner headcount.”
She said added to the burden was the rural nature of the province, which introduces other challenges such as access to water, sanitation and infrastructure. “We have to view these things in context. This is not something that came up last week. This is something that we as a country have to deal with,” she said.
Mhaule said: “Most of the schools in this province are no-fee schools. If there is any form of cut it will leave KZN the hardest hit. Other service areas within the department also get affected.”
On the sidelines of the minister's visit, a small group of Sadtu members picketed outside the school, mainly voicing their concerns about the minister’s failure to sign the Bela Bill.
Gwarube said the Bela Bill is at this stage an act which has been signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa. “He has suspended the commencement of clauses and sections 4 and 5. Those are subject to a process of presidential consultation,” she said.
The basic education department will be led by the outcomes of the consultation.
Gwarube said with regards to the rest of the act, they have already started with ensuring all provinces are on board as they begin implementing the act. “There are critical aspects of the bill which we are looking to implement.”
She said some sections of the bill entail the criminalisation of corporal punishment occurring at some schools.
We believe schools are not able to necessarily protect themselves using the staff complement they have. This is why an agreement with police is important. The nearest police station needs to adopt the schools in that area
— Siviwe Gwarube, basic education minister
“We know some violence in schools is not only learner to learner but educators who insist on using corporal punishment.”
Gwarube said safety at schools was also a priority for the ministry.
“All of these criminal elements are incredibly concerning for us. It is important not only for the learners but for the educators at the schools. We have seen in recent times teachers being gunned down and children robbed as they are leaving schools.”
It is for this reason she will engage police minister Senzo Mchunu, she said.
“Regarding budget cuts, dealing with safety at schools is going to be a challenge considering it is not something they can afford to do with its budget. This is why it’s important to work across government departments.
“We believe schools are not able to necessarily protect themselves using the staff complement they have. This is why an agreement with police is important. The nearest police station needs to adopt the schools in that area.”
She said the issue of crime could not rest on the shoulders of schools alone; school governing bodies and parents should also be included in a solution. “Ultimately schools need to become an asset and free of vandalism, which is common during school holidays.”
National Professional Teachers Organisation CEO Thirona Moodley said the province needed major interventions. “We need a cash injection. This is one of the departments which does not need machinery to function, instead it is reliant on human resources,” she said.
With more than 6,000 schools in the province this presented several challenges including class sizes, she said. There was also growing frustrations from teachers who are yet to receive their Learning and Teaching Support Material allocation and pay progression, linked to performance appraisal.
“As a province we are continually being disadvantaged, and the minister’s predecessor is aware of the challenges which came with budget cuts,” said Moodley.
She hoped with Gwarube at the helm, the department would clear all the lines of communication which were in the past a major disadvantage.
On Friday the minister will continue with the tour to Gauteng.
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