Solidarity demands the urgent payment of outstanding school allocations in Gauteng

The Solidarity Teachers’ Network has formally written to Gauteng MEC for Education, Sport, Arts, Culture and Re-creation, Lebogang Maile, as well as the Head of the Gauteng Department of Education, regarding the department’s failure to pay public schools their outstanding school allocations in full and on time. Read the letter here.

According to Solidarity, the non-payment of school allocations is far more than an administrative oversight. It places schools’ day-to-day operations, teachers’ working conditions, and the quality of learners’ education under severe pressure.

“Teachers are already working under immense pressure due to overcrowded classrooms, increasing administrative demands, behavioural challenges, and growing emotional strain. When schools are also denied the funding to which they are legally entitled, teachers are expected to do even more with even less,” said Johan Botha, Head of Solidarity’s Teachers’ Network.

Section 34(1) of the South African Schools Act places a legal obligation on the state to fund public schools from public revenue on an equitable basis. While school governing bodies may take reasonable steps to supplement a school’s resources, this complementary role can never replace the department’s primary responsibility.

The lack of timely funding places contract positions and support staff at risk, weakens academic and administrative support, and limits schools’ ability to purchase essential teaching and learning materials. Schools are also struggling to manage maintenance, municipal accounts, and other basic operating expenses with any degree of certainty.

“The consequences of the department’s failure are ultimately felt in the classroom. Teachers are still expected to maintain stability, discipline, and academic progress, even as the structures and resources on which a functional school system depends begin to crumble,” Botha said.

According to Botha, the situation also has serious implications for all school staff. Many schools employ additional staff funded from their own budgets or resources. Without the necessary school allocations, retaining these employees is becoming increasingly difficult.

“Schools cannot plan responsibly, manage contracts, or remunerate staff sustainably if the department fails to meet its financial and legal obligations on time. This uncertainty disrupts workforce planning, places employees in a vulnerable position, and threatens the continuation of quality education,” said Botha.

Among its demands, Solidarity’s Teachers’ Network is calling for the immediate payment of all outstanding school allocations to the affected schools. The department must, by 17 July 2026, provide written confirmation of when the outstanding payments will be made and set out the measures it will implement to prevent further delays.

“Learners have a constitutional right to basic education. That right is undermined when the state fails to fund schools adequately, thereby compromising the quality and sustainability of education. Teachers cannot continue carrying the burden of a system that is failing schools financially,” Botha concluded.