Teacher job cuts in WC will increase unemployment, hit quality of education, say civil society groups

CAPE TOWN - Civil society groups said that the planned 2,400 teacher job cuts across the Western Cape would increase the unemployment rate and further deteriorate the quality of education.

The organisations, which met on Saturday in efforts to curb the impending educators’ job losses, stated that the move showed that government does not prioritise the education sector.

The provincial education department last week revealed that the cuts were due to National Treasury slashing its budget by R3.8 billion over the next three financial years.

Equal Education's Nontsikelelo Dlulani said: "What we have also been doing over the years is to speak about budget cuts, about austerity and how that is now affecting what is happening. But I mean the different campaigns that Equal Education has had around overcrowding, around sanitation, safety and school infrastructure because we knew that it's important to have a teacher ratio in everything that we do."

Meanwhile, Mabhele Andile Thwani from Kwintlungu Yasematyotyombeni stated that the decision to cut teacher jobs was politically motivated.

"Most of these policies are more kind of affecting us, for example, we are no longer having SAA, also Telkom is also privatised. There are many things that are still coming, including the Post Office. They are creating excuses so that they can privatise and retrench workers," said Thwani.