In a significant commitment to stabilizing its education system, the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has announced a triple-threat strategy for the coming years: protecting teaching jobs, urgently fixing school sanitation, and ruthlessly shutting down illegal schools.
Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane has moved to calm one of the biggest fears in the sector, explicitly guaranteeing that no public school in the province will see a reduction in teacher posts for the next two financial years.
Job Security for a Stable Classroom
The assurance is a direct effort to maintain stability and quality in classrooms across the province. “There will be no reduction in teacher posts in any Gauteng public school during the 2025/26 and 2026/27 financial years,” the department stated. This pledge means all existing teacher positions will be retained, ensuring that teacher-learner ratios remain consistent and supportive of learning.
Flushing Out the Sanitation Crisis
Recognizing the health and dignity issues plaguing many schools, the department is putting its money where its mouth is. The budget for school sanitation, particularly for schools in Tshwane reliant on septic tanks, has been nearly doubledjumping from R15 million in the previous financial year to R27 million for the upcoming one.
This funding will be used for the regular maintenance and emptying of septic tanks, with priority given to larger secondary schools that operate at higher capacity. While some schools have faced temporary disruptions due to delays from service providers, the GDE says it is establishing rapid-response teams and strengthening oversight to hold contractors accountable. In emergencies, some schools have already used private contractors to ensure facilities remain safe and usable.
Cracking Down on “Fly-by-Night” Schools
The third pillar of the plan is a continued clampdown on illegal and unregistered schools that jeopardize children’s safety and educational futures. This is not a new fight, but the department is intensifying its efforts.
Over the past two years, the GDE has identified and shut down 71 such institutions across Gauteng. The department is working with law enforcement and municipalities to prevent these operations from simply reopening under a different name. Schools that defy closure orders face criminal charges under the South African Schools Act.
To aid this fight, the GDE is urging parents and community members to be vigilant. The public can verify a school’s registration or report suspicious institutions through dedicated hotlines and email addresses.
By combining job security for educators, a concrete plan for infrastructure, and a zero-tolerance approach to rogue operators, the GDE aims to create a more secure, healthy, and legitimate learning environment for every child in the province.
{Source: TimesLive}
