Thousands of teachers march against budget cuts

Thousands of South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) and affiliated union members marched through the streets of Pretoria on Wednesday against austerity measures and budget cuts in public education. Photos: Ihsaan Haffejee

Pretoria’s city centre turned into a sea of red, black and green on Wednesday as thousands of South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) members marched against austerity measures and budget cuts in public education.

The crowd, ushered by heavy police presence, sang struggle songs and waved placards as they marched to the offices of National Treasury and the departments of Basic and Higher Education. Some members of Cosatu and the SACP also joined the protest.

The teachers’ union highlighted concerns over government’s recent budget cuts and its negative impact on education and teacher morale. This included poor infrastructure at schools like toilets, dilapidated classrooms and not having a library, increased workloads, overcrowded classrooms, and growing threats of violence on school premises.

“The very fabric of our children’s future is now under threat if we continue on this current trajectory,” said Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube.

In a press conference last year Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube admitted that provincial education departments were under huge financial pressures. She said these have been years in the making due to aggressive budget cuts, poor spending and a stagnant economy.

Gwarube revealed that the total projected budget shortfall across provinces from the 2021/22 to 2027/28 financial years amounts to about R118bn.

“These budget pressures are not just numbers on spreadsheets, but they translate to fewer teachers, insufficient textbooks, and fewer admin support staff which means that teachers spend more time on admin work, thereby reducing learning and teaching time. In essence, the very fabric of our children’s future is now under threat if we continue on this current trajectory,” said Gwarube.

Some of the issues highlighted by marchers included poor infrastructure like toilets, dilapidated classrooms and not having a library.

At the march, Cosatu President Zingiswa Losi, said: “Education is an apex priority in our nation. This is the future of our kids, the future of this nation. We can’t afford to fail them.”

Sadtu spokesperson Nomusa Cembi said: “Our members feel that they are not being cared for by the department, especially in rural and township schools. We believe that very little is done to look at the mental well-being of the teachers.”

Cembi drew attention to a recent survey by researchers at the University of Stellenbosch on job satisfaction for teachers. Half of teachers surveyed wanted to leave the profession in the next ten years.

The union has given the various departments 21 days to respond and warned of strike action should the government continue slashing social spending.

Austerity measures have had a negative impact on teachers’ ability to do the jobs as well as morale, according to Sadtu.