LETTER TO THE NATIONAL DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION: CONCERN REGARDING MASSIVE CUTS TO SCHOOL FUNDING

As an advocacy rights organisation, and one that has historically espoused quality teaching and learning for learners with disabilities, the National Council of and for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD) expresses profound concern regarding the findings of a report dated 22 October 2025 titled “Massive school funding cuts threaten learning quality and teacher jobs,” released by the Solidarity Research Institute.

While the report is based primarily on data from Gauteng, the systemic issues identified—specifically the drastic reduction in non-personnel funding and critical administrative failures — appear to signal a national crisis that severely compromises the delivery of quality basic education across the country, and by implication, the disproportionate impact the reported massive cuts to school funding will have on special schools nationwide.

Given the gravity of the situation, we draw your urgent attention to the following critical concerns, which directly undermine educational stability and quality, specifically in the context of special schools.

1. Drastic and Untenable Funding Reductions

The reported 65% reduction in allocation per learner, if applied to special schools, is a potentially severe threat with far-reaching implications, including the following:

• Reduction in Specialised Resources: This cut will immediately eliminate funding for assistive technology (e.g., communication devices, specialised software), vital therapy services (speech, occupational, physical), and essential specialised learning materials.
• Compromised Health and Safety: Special schools often have higher utility consumption for specialised heating/cooling and medical equipment. The reported struggle to pay for basic services such as water and electricity directly endangers learners who rely on these services for health, mobility, and communication.
• Erosion of Inclusive Infrastructure: Funding for routine maintenance and accessibility upgrades (ramps, accessible bathrooms, specialised furniture) will be severely curtailed, leading to the rapid deterioration of the physical accessibility of the learning environment.

2. Compromised Learning Quality and Staffing

The loss of staff and excessive learner-educator ratios is especially damaging for inclusive education, which hinges on highly individualised attention regarding the following:

• Loss of Individualised Support: High ratios result in the implementation of Individualised Education Programmes being practically impossible, stripping learners of the necessary one-on-one attention, differentiated instruction, and behavioural support they require.
• Reduction/Loss of Support Staff: Job losses often target class assistants, teaching aides, or therapists — the very personnel crucial for helping learners with high support needs to navigate the curriculum and the school environment.
• Unequal Access to Support: Increased reliance on SGB-funded posts creates a two-tiered system where the quality of critical inclusive support is determined by a parent community’s ability to pay, fundamentally violating the principle of equitable education.

3. Administrative Irregularity and Loss of Trust

The pattern of late notifications, inadequate refunds, and administrative irregularity is unacceptable. The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) issued notices of the subsidy cut after the budget deadline of 30 September, critically disrupting school planning and budgeting for 2026. This lack of timely and transparent communication has bred widespread confusion and led to a serious erosion of trust in the allocation system.

Admittedly, late notifications and disrupted planning are compounded for schools that require complex arrangements for specialised services, with the following examples illustrating this:

• Inability to Secure Specialised Contracts: Special schools and inclusive units require timely and predictable budgeting to contract external, niche services, such as specialised transport, therapists, sign language interpreters, and lip-speakers for the following year. Late notices make securing these critical services impossible.

4. Deterioration of Critical Infrastructure

The postponement of major repairs and limiting allocations to emergency work poses an immediate safety risk and is a barrier to access, primarily because of the following:

• Direct Safety Hazard and Barrier to Access: Deteriorating ramps, broken lifts, and non-functional accessible bathrooms are not mere inconveniences; they are physical barriers and major safety risks that prevent learners with mobility issues from accessing essential school areas.
• Impact on Medical/Hygiene Needs: Failure of sewage or water systems in specialised care areas (e.g., change rooms, therapy rooms) can render the school environment unhygienic and medically unsafe for learners with complex hygiene and medical needs.

In light of the foregoing, we implore the National Department of Basic Education (DBE) to expeditiously recognise and address this crisis with specific regard to the mandate for inclusive education (White Paper 6).

To this end, we urgently require the following:

1. Ring-Fencing of Special Needs Funding: Guarantee that the non-personnel funding allocated for special schools and identified inclusive units is protected from these cuts and immediately restored to a sustainable, adequate level that accounts for the higher costs of specialised education.
2. Specialised Staffing Intervention: Prioritise funding for support staff posts (aides, therapists) in inclusive settings to safeguard the learner-teacher ratios essential for implementing IEPs.
3. Audit of Accessible Infrastructure: Immediately commit funds to assess and address the backlog of essential infrastructure repairs, ensuring that physical barriers do not prevent learners with disabilities from accessing their education.

It is axiomatic that without immediate, decisive intervention, the quality of inclusive public education will not just be compromised; it will be actively dismantled, potentially setting back years of progress toward the goals of equitable education for all learners.

We therefore look forward to your prompt response and confirmation of an action plan that specifically addresses the dire implications for our most vulnerable learners.

 

Sincerely,

Therina Wentzel: National Director, NCPD

Dr Siva Moodley: Research, Advocacy and Rights Strategist