Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube has met with teacher unions to discuss the impact of budget cuts on education.
The department said in a statement that the minister had assured the unions that it was doing all it could to deal with the impact of budget cuts.
In a statement released on Sunday, the department said the minister held an impromptu engagement with representatives from all five teacher unions on the sidelines of the Department of Basic Education’s strategic planning session in Pretoria.
The meeting had focused on the urgent issue of budget cuts affecting the education sector.
“The minister briefed unions on the special meeting of the Council of Education Ministers (CEM), which she convened to assess the impact of the budget cuts on the country’s basic education system,” the statement said.
She informed the union representatives that CEM would reconvene to hear from provincial education departments about their analysis of how these cuts would impact their respective provinces.
This meeting is set to take place this week, the statement said.
The provincial analysis reports will form the basis of the minister’s discussions with the National Treasury and the minister of finance.
“I am working very hard to ensure we have a full understanding of the impact of the budget cuts in the sector. I am determined to work with the Treasury to ensure that we cushion the blow on front-line services in the sector. Additionally, we must place data-driven evidence before my Cabinet colleague, the minister of finance, and to find innovative ways to avoid further cuts to the education budget but to explore ways to do more with less,” Gwarube said.
The teacher unions, the statement said, welcomed the minister’s openness and transparency by engaging them on this critical matter.
They, in turn, emphasised the importance of ensuring the timely transfer of grants and funding to provinces, which is crucial for the smooth functioning of schools and the continued delivery of quality education.
I recently met with the teacher unions on the sidelines of the Department of Basic Education’s Strategic Planning session in Pretoria.
— Siviwe Gwarube (@Siviwe_G) September 15, 2024
The meeting focused on the urgent issue of budget cuts affecting the education sector.
I am committed to protecting the basic
education sector… pic.twitter.com/meWB9iBhOK
Unions expressed their support for the minister’s interventions to safeguard the sector and agreed with her stance that the Department of Basic Education should be the last place where budget cuts were implemented.
They also expressed their support for the minister’s ongoing efforts to engage with National Treasury to protect the sector from the worst effects of the country’s financial challenges.
The Mercury