The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has rejected claims that it has cut funding to Quintile 5 schools by 64%, describing the allegations as false, misleading, and a deliberate distortion of publicly available information.
The department said the adjusted funding levels for Quintile 5 schools were communicated as early as October 2025 and formally outlined through indicative budget allocation certificates issued to schools in September 2025.
The issue comes after the Democratic Alliance (DA) launched a petition opposing what it describes as a “devastating 64% cut” to operational budgets at Quintile 5 public schools.
Michael Waters MPL, DA Gauteng Spokesperson for Education, said in a statement:
“The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng has launched a petition to stop the Gauteng Provincial Government’s (GPG) devastating 64% cut to operational budgets at Quintile 5 public schools, a decision that will directly harm learners, parents, and teachers from April 1, 2026.”
Waters added, “This cut is not a minor adjustment by the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE). It represents a systemic dismantling of functioning public schools. These are schools that receive no fee-exemption subsidies, no infrastructure grants, and no additional learner support, yet are now expected to survive on barely a third of their current allocations. This is an indictment of Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s government.”
The GDE, however, said the adjustments do not constitute a budget cut but rather a realignment to nationally prescribed adequacy rates, aimed at correcting historical overfunding of certain Quintile 5 fee-paying schools. The department emphasised that the process was transparent and implemented in line with national policy frameworks.
Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane attributed the province’s financial constraints to national budget reductions.
“The Department of Basic Education, under the leadership of the Democratic Alliance, is fully aware of the funding pressures facing provinces, including Gauteng. These matters have been repeatedly raised, yet meaningful relief has not materialised, leaving provinces to absorb the impact,” Chiloane said.
He also accused the DA of politicising the issue, describing the criticism as “disingenuous and politically opportunistic.”
“It is dishonest to accuse provinces of cutting school funding while remaining silent about the national budget cuts imposed by the National Treasury,” he said.
Chiloane further stated, “If there is a petition to be delivered, it should be delivered to the Department of Basic Education, which is responsible for national funding policy and allocations. Provinces cannot be scapegoated for implementing national policy under constrained budgets that we do not control.”
Saturday Star