By Johnathan Paoli
Teacher unions are unhappy with the budget allocation to education and have warned that early retirement for educators will have a negative impact on learning.
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced during his Budget speech on Wednesday that that government had allocated R598.7 billion to learning and culture, with R332.3 billion earmarked for basic education.
Additionally, an extra R19.1 billion has been set aside over the medium term to retain approximately 11,000 teachers.
The SA Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) has raised serious concerns about its sufficiency in addressing the critical needs of the education sector, saying it is not enough.
“Sadtu remains committed to quality public education. We believe this will be achieved if the government adequately funds education. We urge our government to increase funding for education and not maintain the current status quo,” spokesperson Nomusa Cembi said.
She said the union believed the budget did not go far enough to resolve the pressing teacher shortages, particularly in addressing high learner-teacher ratios.
“The funding remains insufficient to hire the many unemployed teacher graduates and the Grade R educators who are now part of the system following the compulsory introduction of Grade R,” warned Cembi.
The union also pointed to serious risks of job losses, citing that over 11,000 teaching posts in KwaZulu-Natal were under threat, while the Western Cape has already cut 2407 positions.
Despite these concerns, Sadtu welcomed the R10 billion allocation to Early Childhood Development (ECD), which will raise the per-child subsidy from R17 to R29 per day and extend ECD access to 700,000 more children.
However, the union remained sceptical about the government’s early retirement initiative, stating that previous attempts to encourage early retirement had failed due to economic conditions.
Instead, Sadtu emphasised the need for a robust human resource plan to ensure adequate teacher supply and retention.
The Suid-Afrikaanse Onderwysersunie (SAOU) welcomed some measures while cautioning against potential pitfalls.
“The 2025-2026 budget has provided an opportunity of survival for the education sector, but this budget still has to be managed by the various provincial education departments and the SAOU pleads that the austerity measures which are envisaged by the Treasury will also find favour in provincial budgets and that wisdom in the funding of programmes will be implemented,” executive officer Paul Sauer said.
The union acknowledged the finance minister’s commitment to not implement a “payment holiday” on Government Employees Pension Fund contributions, which it considered a positive decision for teachers’ financial security.
However, SAOU expressed concern over the proposed early retirement programme, warning that it could lead to a loss of skilled educators at a time when experienced teachers are crucial.
“Quality employees can only be retained if they are accommodated in a conducive working environment where their basic needs are met,” Sauer said, emphasising that merely availing funding for retention was not enough.
Regarding the education budget, SAOU recognised the additional R19.1 billion allocated to education to prevent further job cuts, but cautioned that the actual implementation of funds by provincial education departments would determine the success of these measures.
The union also welcomed the funds allocated to the ECD sector, considering it a necessary step following the legislative inclusion of compulsory Grade R.
Basic education remains a significant expenditure item, with 76% of provincial education budgets dedicated to salaries.
This leaves R24 out of every R100 for essential needs such as school infrastructure, textbooks and learner meals.
While the government acknowledges that more teachers are needed in classrooms, financial limitations continue to hinder large-scale hiring.
Both unions emphasised the need for prudent fund management and stronger anti-corruption efforts.
INSIDE EDUCATION
