Government schools in “wealthier” areas of Gauteng face slashing cuts to their operational budget from 1 April – the Gauteng government says this is a “realignment” or “stabilisation” because of national budgetary pressures. The Gauteng department of education (GDE) has denied arrangement amounts to cuts in funding at quintile 5, or former model C public schools, by 64%, pushing back against claims by the DA and insisting the changes amount to a funding realignment driven by national budget pressures. However, replies provided by the department to questions in the Gauteng legislature, together with official budget allocation tables, show quintile 5 schools are being moved from their funding levels directly to the national minimum funding threshold, resulting in reduced allocations from 1 April.
A quintile 5 school is a public school ranked among the top 20% wealthiest, serving communities with the highest income, lowest unemployment and highest literacy rates. DA Gauteng shadow MEC for education Michael Waters said the department was misleading parents and schools by denying the cut with semantics, while confirming reduced allocations in the legislature. “They can call it a realignment, a stabilisation or whatever buzzword they like,” Waters said.
“When schools receive less money in real terms, that is a cut. This is not a gradual downgrade. It is one brutal and devastating cut that takes effect in a single financial year.” The dispute escalated following the DA’s launch of a public petition opposing the cut.
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The party said it has already gained traction among parents and school governing bodies. It calls on the provincial government to reverse the funding decision and protect schools from what it describes as a budget shock. Waters said the DA calculated the 64% reduction by comparing current quintile 5 operational allocations with the national minimum funding level.
“This is not theoretical,” he said. “Schools have already been notified of their new allocations.”
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