JOHANNESBURG - The Gauteng Education Department has notified quintile 5 schools in the province that it will reduce subsidies by 65 percent in 2026.
Instead of receiving the higher provincial subsidy they’ve relied on, schools will now receive the national minimum allocation of R315 per pupils per year.
Schools only received this information after the annual deadline of 30 September.
Why this Is an issue
According to the Federation of Governing Bodies of South African Schools (FEDSAS), this sudden funding cut will impact at least 750 public schools in Gauteng, many of which will struggle to adapt to this abrupt policy shift.
Deputy CEO Jaco Deacon explains: “In real terms, schools are losing about R500 per learner per year.
"If you break that down, it’s R45 per month more that parents will need to cover. But in a big school with around 1,200 pupils, the school suddenly needs to find R600,000 to balance its budget.”
According to Deacon, many Gauteng schools have come to depend on the higher provincial subsidy, with a reasonable expectation that the funding would remain stable.
But Deacon says the sudden cut has created procedural issues.
READ | Fedsas and the Department of Basic Education clash over subsidy review
Education in Numbers report showed that applications for exemption of school fees and defaults on payments have increased drastically.
Gauteng Manager for FEDSAS Deon Lerm says this highlights how serious the financial pressure has become.
“At some schools, up to 35% of fees cannot be recovered. Combined with this sudden loss of more than 60% of the subsidy, the enormity of the provincial education department’s decision becomes clear,” he says.
Lerm points to a specific example of a Quintile 5 high school in where only about 25 percent of parents pay school fees.
“The school principal says their already limited budget was suddenly cut by R600,000 due to the new per-learner tariff. The best interests of learners remain their priority, which means that expenditure on aspects such as staff development is cut. Ultimately, this affects quality education,’ Lerm says.
Some schools are now being forced to cut School Governing Body (SGB) posts to ensure there is enough money for basic needs, he added.
While there may be an assumption that quintal 5 schools are wealthy schools. Both Lerm and Deacon say this is not the case and that not all quintile 5 schools in Gauteng are in wealthier neighbourhoods.
What parents are saying
With schools already warning of potential fee increases in 2026, the SA Morning Soapbox asked residents if they could afford to pay more for their children’s education in 2026.
One resident responded how school fees are already exorbitant while children are not receiving the quality of education parents are paying for.
Some parents argue that at the back of these high school fees, is the unbearable cost of living which makes it hard to survive or even have a hold over their finances.
They are calling for quick interventions into these high prices.
What happens next?
FEDSAS has committed itself to working cooperatively with the Gauteng Department of Education, but says it will act in the interest of its members in cases of procedural non-compliance whether it is the result of administrative incompetence of blatant contempt of rules and regulation.
“The only way to stop the systemic decay in the public education system is to start doing the basics right and to ensure that there are consequences for violations by officials, heads of education departments and MECs,” it says.