More than 16 000 Gauteng residents have signed a petition demanding the reversal of what the DA describes as “devastating” cuts to public school budgets in the province.
The petition was formally submitted to the Gauteng Legislature’s Education Portfolio Committee on Monday by the DA, which claims the Gauteng Provincial Government slashed budgets for Quintile 5 public schools by 64%.
According to the DA, the petition was launched in January after party representatives visited several schools across Gauteng and found institutions already struggling under mounting financial pressure.
WATCH: Schools are under severe strain
DA Gauteng spokesperson for education, Michael Waters, said schools are battling to cope with rising operational costs while allegedly receiving inadequate support from the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE).
“Across Gauteng, schools are battling to keep the lights on, maintain basic infrastructure, pay for municipal services, repair toilets, provide learner support programmes and sustain extracurricular activities,” Waters said.
He added that school principals and governing bodies had warned that the situation was becoming “financially unsustainable”.
“Schools [are] overwhelmed by rising municipal costs as the Gauteng Department of Education continues to underfund schools and shift more responsibility onto parents and local communities,” he said.
The DA said members of the Education Portfolio Committee are now expected, in line with Gauteng Legislature petition processes, to assess the impact of the budget reductions on schools, students and parents.
Calls to reverse cuts immediately
The opposition party is calling on the provincial government and the GDE to immediately reverse the cuts and prevent further reductions to school funding.
Among the demands contained in the petition are calls to:
- reverse the 64% cuts to Quintile 5 school budgets;
- protect school funding from further reductions;
- prioritise frontline education spending over “wasteful expenditure”; and
- engage with schools, parents and communities about the financial challenges facing schools.
Waters described the petition as more than a symbolic gesture.
“This is not just another petition. It is a direct message from parents, learners, teachers, and residents across Gauteng who are refusing to stand by while the Premier Panyaza Lesufi-led government pushes schools deeper into crisis,” he said.
He further claimed the petition was among the largest ever submitted to the Gauteng government.
“It reflects the growing public anger towards these cruel and reckless cuts. The people have spoken, and their message is clear: reverse the cuts now!”
GDE rejects claims of ‘64% cuts’
In January, the GDE rejected claims that it had imposed a 64% cut to Quintile 5 school funding, calling the allegations “false, misleading, and reckless”.
The department said no such cuts had been implemented and argued that the changes formed part of an “interim funding realignment process” necessitated by budget pressures linked to reductions from National Treasury.
“At no point has the GDE implemented a 64% reduction in school funding,” the department said at the time.
According to the GDE, schools were informed about adjusted funding levels through indicative budget allocation certificates issued in September 2025.
The department further stated that the revised allocations, effective from 1 April 2026, aligned with the National Norms and Standards for School Funding gazetted by the Department of Basic Education (DBE).
“The department further clarified that this process does not constitute a budget cut, but rather a realignment to nationally prescribed adequacy rates, particularly correcting the historical funding of certain Quintile 5 fee-paying schools,” the statement read.
The GDE also cited significant financial pressures, including a reported R444 million shortfall in the current financial year and a projected R160 million shortfall over the 2026 medium-term expenditure framework period.
Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane accused the DA of being politically opportunistic and ignoring the impact of national budget reductions.
“The sudden outrage being manufactured by DA is therefore disingenuous and politically opportunistic,” Chiloane said.
“It is dishonest to accuse provinces of cutting school funding while remaining silent about the national budget cuts imposed by National Treasury.”
Budget cuts affecting classrooms
The DA argued that the impact of the reductions extends beyond finances and directly affects teaching and learning conditions.
“It is unacceptable that the Gauteng Provincial Government expects schools and parents to absorb the damage while ordinary families are already struggling with a severe cost-of-living crisis,” Waters said.
“These cuts are not abstract numbers on a spreadsheet; they directly affect classrooms, learner safety, educational quality, and the future of children.”
The party also used the petition handover to position itself as an alternative to the current provincial administration, saying it would prioritise “sound financial management” and eliminate “government waste, bloated bureaucracy, and failed priorities”.
“The education of our children is non-negotiable – it is a right that must be protected at all costs,” Waters said.
