DBE Insists Teaching and Learning Will Not be Disrupted Despite Looming Teacher Job Cuts

Over 16,000 teachers nationwide face job losses this year, following the National Treasury's budget reductions. 

Picture: © teka77/123rf.com

JOHANNESBURG - The Department of Basic Education (DBE) insists teaching and learning will not be disrupted despite impending job cuts. 

Over 16,000 teachers nationwide face job losses this year, following the National Treasury's budget reductions. 

Activists and unions have raised the alarm, saying the cuts will affect thousands of teachers who have devoted their careers to educating the youth. 

A massive R3.8 billion budget shortfall threatens thousands of teaching jobs, including 11, 000 in Kwazulu-Natal, 3,400 in Gauteng, and over 2, 000 in the Western Cape. 

This has sparked questions about the department’s ability to deliver quality education and prepare a skilled youth workforce. 

However, Deputy Minister Reginah Mhaule reassured parents and learners, saying the impact would be minimal. 

"Budget cuts, it is in the person. The commitment and dedication by the teachers. Some of our teachers most of the time, they say I don’t need a classroom. I need learners."

Mhaule believes that the resilience and dedication of teachers will mitigate the effects of the cuts, as they have done in the past.