Civil society organisations backed by Cosatu and its affiliates, including Sadtu, have raised their discontent over anticipated budget cuts affecting the education department.
The organisations are set to protest outside Parliament on Wednesday, where Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana will be tabling the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS).
Cosatu parliamentary co-ordinator Matthew Parks believes National Treasury should not be implementing austerity measures but should instead be growing the economy.
“The federation agrees that the public debt must be managed and its trajectory curbed, but the most sustainable and sober path to achieve this is to stimulate economic growth, spur job creation, ensure the state can provide the quality services and support that the economy depends upon.
“Education is key in growing the economy. We have a crisis of too many children dropping out before matric and not getting the skills we require for our workforce. If you cut teachers, you are increasing the teacher-learner ratio. It will not improve results, it will only make it worse,” he reiterated.
Youth-led mass organisation Equal Education is concerned about the effects the cuts will have on disadvantaged schools.
“The budget cuts will have a huge effect on the quality of education. If you compare it to private schools, the situation is dire.
“Without adequate public funding, black children will be left behind and now you are just reproducing apartheid. We are not saying we should reprioritise from other critical departments but we are saying we must reject austerity, and that the government must fully fund public services.”
Education department spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said the department had put together a good case against further budget cuts, however, the decision lies with Treasury.
“We are hopeful that in the MTPBS the minister will table next week, there will be some good news for the basic education sector,” he said.
The Western Cape education department has already confirmed that it will be cutting 2 407 teachers next year, a move that has unsettled stakeholders in the sector.
In KwaZulu-Natal, a further 11 000 teaching positions face the axe, while Gauteng Basic Education MEC, Matome Chiloane has mentioned that 3 400 jobs are at risk in that province.
