The Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, has called on all Provincial Education MECs and Heads of Department to urgently develop and submit comprehensive plans that safeguard the continuity of education service delivery and address irregularities in school personnel management.
This follows a critical financial review initiated by Gwarube shortly after assuming office, which exposed severe strain in the education sector.
According to the findings, the analysis revealed that the education sector is facing severe financial strain due to a decade of chronic underinvestment by the national government, repeated redirection of public funds to bail out struggling state-owned enterprises, and poor financial management at the provincial government level.
“The education sector is under extraordinary pressure,” Gwarube warned.
“Without urgent intervention and robust financial planning, several Provincial Education Departments risk becoming insolvent before the end of the current financial year. There is no room for complacency. The choices ahead are difficult and, at times, painful—but they are necessary to preserve the integrity and sustainability of our public education system.”
Gwarube has instructed that all Provincial Education Departments collaborate with their respective Provincial Treasuries to develop actionable financial recovery plans. These must be submitted to the Department of Basic Education ahead of the Council of Education Ministers (CEM) meeting scheduled for July 21, 2025.
In addition to the recovery plans, MECs and Heads of Department are required to fully account for their performance in critical areas of service delivery.
This includes ensuring timely disbursement of statutory school payments; restoring and maintaining basic services at public schools (electricity, water, security, learner transport, and nutrition programmes); appointment of educators and managers to funded vacancies; and identifying and removing ghost employees from payroll systems.
Gwarube noted that KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) is among the provinces experiencing the most severe financial pressures.
Gwarube recently convened a high-level meeting with KZN MEC for Education Sipho Nhlamuka, Finance MEC Francois Rodgers, and officials from the Premier’s Office to address the province’s challenges.
The minister has also tasked the Director-General, Hubert Mathanzima Mweli, with engaging National Treasury and affected provinces to formulate intervention strategies.
“The Department of Basic Education will use these plans to safeguard teaching and learning,” the Minister said, reaffirming her commitment to technical support and oversight. “Basic education is simply too important to fail.”
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