By Johnathan Paoli
Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube is expected to travel to KwaZulu-Natal on Monday for urgent talks aimed at resolving the province’s worsening education funding crisis.
The minister is set to convene an all-of-government meeting with Premier Thami Ntuli, Education MEC Sipho Hlomuka, Finance MEC Francois Rodgers, and senior national and provincial officials.
“The meeting will discuss the serious financial challenges besetting the province and propose a financial recovery plan for the provincial department to ensure stability and continuity in the delivery of education services in the province,” Basic Education spokesperson Terence Khala said.
The emergency meeting comes against a backdrop of deepening fiscal constraints that have left the KwaZulu-Natal education department struggling to fill critical posts, deliver resources to schools, and maintain basic operations.
Gwarube has emphasised that ensuring continuity in education services is a top national priority, noting that the sector is under immense pressure due to years of budget reductions and growing demands on the system.
The provincial department previously revealed that nearly 9,000 posts remain vacant due to budget constraints.
Appearing before the provincial legislature’s Education Portfolio Committee, officials confirmed that while more than 107,000 posts have been approved for the 2025/26 financial year, including over 90,000 educator positions and around 190 therapist posts, funding shortfalls have stalled appointments.
Chief Financial Officer Yali Joyi said the impact of budget cuts is evident in the department’s workforce and that by the end of the quarter in June, there were 98,801 filled posts against the fixed establishment, and that translated to 8,702 vacant posts.
The all-of-government meeting is expected to explore several options, including short-term financial bailouts, reprioritisation of provincial budgets, and longer-term structural reforms.
With nearly 9,000 teaching and support posts hanging in the balance, the stakes for Monday’s meeting are high, with the outcome possibly determining whether the province can begin to reverse years of financial decline or whether schools, teachers, and learners will continue to bear the brunt of austerity.
INSIDE EDUCATION
