Outcry as Gauteng education department slashes funding for former Model C schools

Civil society groups and parties opposed to the recent announcement by the provincial education department's to cut funding for former Model C schools.

According to media reports, at least 600 schools in the province will be affected by the sudden reduction of over 60 percent in their state subsidies. This is after the department recently announced that it would implement adjusted funding for Quintile 4 and Quintile 5 schools from the 1st of April 2026.

The initial allocation of R879 per learner has been reduced to R315, resulting in a 60 percent subsidy cut.

The DA in the province and the civil society group Equal Education condemned the decision, saying that this will push families and schools deeper into a financial crisis, as schools will be forced to significantly increase their fees to mitigate the effects of these cuts.

Speaking on behalf of Equal Education, Mahfouz Rafee said the budget cuts will have a negative effect on schooling for some of the poor learners from these schools.

"The cut in their subsidies was drastic and affects the school's budget, and this will have a bad effect on education," he said.

The DA's Sergio Isa Dos Santos, said the party is considering legal action against the department, as the late communication by the department has already caused uncertainty and financial pressure for parents.

"The GDE’s decision to introduce the reduction after the legislated deadline of 30 September 2025 is not only invalid but also reckless and likely to harm thousands of learners in Gauteng. Accordingly, this decision must be reversed to provide schools with more time to adapt to the reduced funding," Dos Santos stated.

The party has indicated that for several years, the GDE has topped up funding for Quintile 5 schools so that they receive the same funding per learner as Quintile 4 schools. Although this was discretionary, it created an expectation that this would continue.

"Therefore, the decision to belatedly inform schools between 7 and 10 October of the substantial funding cuts is deeply concerning. This has affected School Governing Bodies (SGBs), who had already prepared their budgets based on the previous subsidy levels. The drastic reduction from R879 to R315 per learner places schools in a serious financial predicament and will almost certainly lead to significant increases in school fees," he added.

However, the department has defended the decision, with departmental spokesperson Steve Mabona saying the department acted within the law, adding that the Indicative Resource Allocation certificates were signed by the HoD on 30 September 2025.

Mabona further stated that since 2021, budget cuts under the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) are a result of the National Treasury’s fiscal consolidation, which has left a shortfall in the 2026/27 budget.

"No additional funding was allocated, so the department reprioritised spending and adjusted Quintile 5 allocations to match the adequacy amount of Quintile 4. To contain the pressure, the GDE has revised its decision to fund Quintile 5 schools using the adequacy amount of Quintile 4 and adhere to the DBE published allocation of R315 per learner.”

siyabonga.sithole@inl.co.za