Note to editors: Please find attached English soundbite by Michael Waters MPL.
Gauteng’s public schools are facing a growing crisis as they are burdened with a daunting R117 million in outstanding debt owed to municipalities. This financial burden threatens to cut off crucial services such as electricity and water, placing teachers and learners in a precarious situation that could potentially compromise the delivery of quality education.
This shocking information was disclosed in a written reply by the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) MEC Lebogang Maile to questions by the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature. The MEC reports that public schools owe R117,239,907.22 in municipal debt, with some already facing electricity disconnections and water restrictions due to unpaid bills.
The DA calls on MEC Maile to urgently conduct a province-wide assessment of the actual cost of municipal services at every public school and provide a comprehensive plan to prevent further electricity and water disconnections. The MEC must also explain how the R117.24 million debt will be addressed without sacrificing educational programmes and reconsider the R343.9 million Quintile 5 funding cuts, particularly given his department’s admission that national funding norms do not prevent additional provincial support.
The current situation goes beyond just a debt problem; it is an education crisis. The GDE’s proposed solution that municipalities enter into payment arrangements through debt acknowledgements presents serious challenges. It means schools already facing funding constraints will be compelled to redirect their allocation funds intended for teaching and learning toward settling municipal arrears to restore essential services.
Even more concerning, another GDE reply reveals that the department has never conducted a formal, consolidated province-wide assessment to determine whether the allocations provided to schools are sufficient to cover the actual costs of essential services. This means that the department is making funding decisions without properly establishing what it actually costs for schools to keep the lights on, the water running, and their municipal accounts up to date.
The GDE cannot cut school budgets without first assessing whether schools can still cover rising electricity and water costs, nor can it be surprised when municipal debt increases and services are disconnected. Electricity and water are not luxuries; they are basic requirements for a functioning school.
A DA-led Gauteng Provincial Government would conduct a province-wide audit of school operating costs to determine essential service needs. We would also implement early-warning systems to identify schools at risk of municipal disconnections, negotiate payment arrangements for arrears, and ring-fence funding for essential services. Additionally, we would review Quintile 5 funding cuts.