The Covid-19 pandemic, plus the deadly floods in KwaZulu-Natal have dealt a heavy blow on the provincial department of education’s budget with a number of critical posts expected to remain unfilled.
This was revealed on Wednesday by newly appointed MEC for education Mbali Frazer, who said the department had to reprioritise funds to respond to the two calamities.
“We may not be able to fill posts in one go. Our key challenge in these posts is the budget cuts that we experienced as a province,” said Frazer.
She, however, made a commitment that although the department is in dire financial straights, no classroom will be without a teacher.
“With all these challenges we have, we might not deprive learners of quality education and efficient curriculum delivery,” said Frazer.
She was addressing the first day of the National Teachers Union conference in Durban, which is attended by 17 regions comprising of delegates from all the provinces.
The conference, which ends of Friday, is expected to deliberate on key challenges facing schools and the basic education sector. This includes underage pregnancy, effects on teaching and learning due to Covid-19, and water shortages that reduce the learning time.
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