The controversy surrounding the Western Cape Education Department's (WCED) handling of teacher post cuts has sparked outrage across political and educational circles, with accusations of mismanagement, lack of transparency, and unfairness.
Khalid Sayed, leader of the opposition in the Western Cape Legislature, has requested an emergency meeting of the Standing Committee on Education to require MEC David Maynier to fully account for the exemption of over 400 schools from these cuts.
The ANC has raised concerns about whether these exemptions align with constitutional principles of fairness, equity, and redress in public education.
“We call for full disclosure of all data related to the cuts, including the names of exempted schools and the criteria used for their exemption,” Sayed said.
Sayed pointed out that the party has long opposed the cuts, which they believe unfairly impact schools in underprivileged communities.
According to the ANC Caucus in the Western Cape Legislature, the revelation that the WCED hid the exemption of more than 400 schools—including over 100 wealthy quintile 5 schools—exposed “a concerning lack of transparency”.
The party noted that the concerns were rooted in the findings of new data analysis, which allegedly shows that while 70% of public schools in the province bore the brunt of the teacher post cuts, 30%—many of them in affluent areas—were exempted without clear explanation or disclosure to the legislature or the public.
“This deliberate withholding of material information undermines accountability and public trust,” the ANC stated.
The statements put out by the ANC have been met with a strong rebuttal from the WCED.
Kerry Mauchline, a spokesperson for the department, categorically rejected the claims made by the consultant who first revealed the “discrepancies” the ANC has put forward.
“The claims made by the consultant are categorically false,” Mauchline asserted.
She explained that teacher posts are allocated based on a post provisioning model, a formula provided by the national government that takes various factors into account, including class sizes, school workload, poverty, and more.
According to Mauchline, the only schools excluded from the cuts were Special Needs schools due to their unique teaching and learning environments.
Mauchline argued that the data presented by the consultant himself disproved the allegations.
“The quintile with the most schools that had posts cut was Quintile 5, while the quintile with the most schools that had no posts cut was Quintile 1,” she noted, claiming that the consultant's own figures contradict his conclusions.
Mauchline also pointed to the detailed information the department had provided to a member of provincial parliament who requested a list of affected schools and the number of posts being cut.
Despite these reassurances, the controversy has not dissipated, and there are growing calls for greater transparency.
Andre De Bruyn from the Education Union of South Africa (EUSA) weighed in, emphasizing that the exemption of certain schools—particularly those in wealthier areas—without clear justification is deeply troubling.
“The exemption of over 400 schools from these cuts—many of them in wealthier areas—raises serious concerns about transparency, fairness, and equity in our public education system,” De Bruyn said.
He fully supported the ANC’s call for an emergency meeting to hold the WCED accountable, arguing that the lack of full disclosure undermines trust, especially in communities already struggling with overcrowding and resource shortages.