Thapelo Molefe
THE South African Communist Party (SACP) has rejected the Western Cape provincial government’s decision to reduce teacher posts by 2 407 in the 2025 academic year, describing it as a discriminatory measure that will further compromise learning performance in disadvantaged communities.
SACP provincial spokesperson Lizwi Gegule noted that the Western Cape Department of Education’s decision comes despite the province’s underwhelming academic outcomes in recent years.
“This move will further compromise educational performance and outcomes by, among others, compounding the skewed resource allocation between schools in affluent areas and those in townships and rural communities,” Gegule said.
He said that the Western Cape intends to exploit economic measures as an excuse to further discriminate against schools in working-class areas.
“It is these communities that will bear the brunt of the reduction in teacher posts,” he warned.
Gegule said they are working with the South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) in denouncing the DA’s attempt to weaken education in working-class communities.
“The DA-led government refused to reprioritise budgets for high-priority items, such as teaching and learning, to achieve better educational outcomes,” Gegula said.
Sadtu provincial secretary Sibongile Kwazi said the union has rejected the proposal and came up with a proposal to augment the finances for maintaining the current post basket.
However, Kwazi said the proposals fell on deaf ears, and the implications of the decrease in the basket of posts have dire consequences for contract educators.
INSIDE EDUCATION
