SAHRC to go to Parliament over education’s budget cuts

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has joined a growing chorus of voices expressing dissatisfaction with budget cuts in the education sector that may lead to thousands of jobs being lost.

In the Western Cape, 2 400 teaching posts are proposed to be cut after a budget shortfall of R3.8 billion.

In Gauteng, however, Education MEC Matome Chiloane announced that the province would be cutting its budget on school nutrition and scholar transport to save more than 3 000 teaching jobs.

This was not welcomed by the South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu), the country’s largest teachers union.

Its general secretary Mugwena Maluleke told The Citizen that school nutrition and scholar transport are essential to the quality of learning in schools.

SAHRC says budget cuts a ‘regressive step’

The SAHRC said Tuesday it was “gravely concerned” about about the budget cuts.

It cited reports that proposed job cuts will disproportionately affect schools in poor communities, further impacting educational outcomes in places that need change the most.

“Whilst the commission is concerned about the impact of the announced budget cuts on jobs and livelihoods, it is equally concerned about the impact of the announced budget cuts on addressing the challenge of poor school infrastructure, particularly in historically black and poor communities,” it said.

“The announcement comes at a time when South Africa as a whole is experiencing backlogs in school infrastructure and at a time when many provincial departments of education are unable to comply with the published norms and standards for school infrastructure due to budgetary constraints.”

The SAHRC said the budget cuts will exacerbate challenges and stall efforts to address them across the country.

“The announced budget cuts are, therefore, a regressive step.”

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Commission to go to Parliament over Education budget

Instead, it said budget allocation should be aligned with the objective of progressively realising socio-economic rights.

It should also be constitutional.

Thus, the commission with seek the following:

• Engage with the Portfolio Committee on Education and make submissions on the impact of the proposed budget cuts on all facets of the right to basic education;
• Engage with the Minister of Basic Education to explore solutions to ameliorate the impact of the announced budget cuts on the right to basic education;
• Engage the Minister of Finance on the impact of its budgeting decisions on the fulfilment of socio-economic rights more broadly, including the right of access to basic education;
• Informed by the above engagements, consider all other options as provided for in its mandate.

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