Should the education budget prioritise learning over infrastructure?

South Africa’s education sector received a R332.3 billion allocation in the 2025 budget, reaffirming the government’s commitment to schooling.

However, with rising pupil enrolments and worsening unemployment, experts warn that the focus must shift from infrastructure expansion to prioritising student learning, especially as cuts to US funding further strain the sector.

Education analyst and CEO of Idea, Dr Corrin Varady, cautioned that Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s decision to reduce the planned VAT increase from 2% to 0.5% in 2025/26 – with a further 0.5% cut the following year – has constrained the available funding.

“In addition, cuts to U. funding in other sectors have further strained the education budget,” Varady said.

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Student learning over infrastructure

According to Idea, despite South Africa having one of the world’s largest education budgets, spending inefficiencies persist.

Varady said that financial accountability is critical to ensuring meaningful improvements in learning outcomes.

“Without strong checks and balances, inefficiencies continue to undermine progress,” he said.

Varady argued that budget allocations should prioritise student learning rather than merely expanding infrastructure.

“Investment in education must go beyond building classrooms to delivering meaningful learning outcomes. Unfortunately, the current system often treats students as an afterthought,” he said.

Varady also called for provincial education departments to be held accountable for measurable results.

“Progress in student services, teacher development and literacy and numeracy programmes should be scrutinised against expenditure. Without tangible improvements, discussions about budget expansions are irrelevant,” he said.

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Smarter spending over additional funding

Varady advocated for maximising existing resources instead of seeking additional financial injections for new projects.

“We must rethink budget allocations to deliver cost-efficient programmes, especially in teacher training and student content,” he said.

Digital learning should also be prioritised as South Africa aims to equip students with Fourth Industrial Revolution skills.

“However, without innovative and resource-efficient implementation, these goals risk remaining aspirational rather than actionable.”

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Key to progress

Varady stressed the need for stronger collaboration between the public and private sectors to maximise the impact of available resources.

“However, fragmented provincial spending and opaque procurement processes have created mistrust, discouraging private sector involvement,” he said.

“If the government can ensure financial stability and sustainable programme implementation, private sector innovation can complement public education with high-impact, cost-effective solutions.”

Varady concluded by calling for urgent reform in education spending as departments can no longer afford to continue as they have.

“Instead of fixating on funding limitations and stagnant educational outcomes, we must reassess how we allocate resources. The time for excuses is over – accountable, efficient spending is the only way forward.”

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