GOOD Statement by Brett Herron ,
GOOD Secretary General & Member of the Western Cape Parliament
15 January 2024
The GOOD Party calls on the Western Cape Education Department to realign its budget and priorities for the 2025/26 year.
With schools opening today, the Western Cape schools are at capacity and according to the department’s spokesperson Bronagh Hammond 2,677 Grade 1 and 8 pupils are yet to be placed (News24).
This glaring failure to ensure access to education raises serious questions about the department’s preparedness and priorities.
The looming teacher cuts only threaten the ‘maturing’ education system further.
Overcrowded classrooms, overstretched teachers, and a lack of individual attention will inevitably lead to vulnerable children slipping through the cracks.
The WCED’s decision to slash teaching posts in the face of mounting challenges is not just shortsighted; it’s a recipe for disaster.
Meanwhile, the WCED’s budget remains an enigma.
In March 2024, the Education Department had tabled a balanced three-year budget, disclosing no shortfall, yet by September – despite no changes in funding allocations – the shortfall was so dramatic that the “only option” was to reduce the number of teachers.
In November 2024, Western Cape MEC for Finance Deidré Baartman threw two lifelines to the provincial education department to save teachers’ jobs.
Baartman announced that R600m earmarked for education infrastructure would be freed up to address the department’s salary needs. She also announced an additional R250m injection to address the education department’s immediate shortages.
However, MEC for Education David Maynier has doubled down on his plan to scrap the teachers’ posts.
The handling of funds is murky at best and deliberately misleading at worst.
The GOOD party demands answers and immediate action.
The WCED must halt teacher cuts and prioritise placement.
The clock is ticking, and the consequences of inaction are too severe to ignore.
Media enquiries:
Brett Herron, GOOD: Secretary General & Member of the Western Cape Parliament
Cell: 0825183264
Email: bretth@forgood.org.za
Samantha Jackson, GOOD: Media Manager
Cell: 083 5509875
Email: samantha@forgood.org.za