Western Cape Education Minister of Education David Maynier is calling on teacher unions to refrain from striking in response to proposed job cuts affecting educators in the province.
Last week, the provincial education department announced plans to eliminate 2,400 teaching positions by the end of the year due to budget constraints. The department cited a significant budget shortfall of R3.8 billion over the next three years as the reason for these reductions.
In response, teacher unions have rejected the department’s strategy and threatened strike action. They are advocating for the department to reconsider certain upcoming programs, such as the back-on-track initiative, to alleviate the financial burden.
However, Maynier emphasized that halting these programs would not effectively address the budget deficit. “We would have to hollow out our non-personnel spending, reducing the department to one that only pays salaries without providing any support to teachers, learners, and schools,” he stated. “We have not made the decision to cut teaching posts lightly, and we are committed to advocating for our teachers.”
Maynier urged the unions to collaborate rather than confront the department. “We hope that teacher unions will choose to fight alongside us rather than against us.”