The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) condemns the Gauteng Department of Education’s decision to reduce subsidies to quintile-5 schools in the province from R900 to just R315 per learner as from 2026.
This reduction affects Afrikaans schools, in particular, and the Freedom Front Plus views the sudden slashing of subsidies to quintile-5 schools as an indirect, but obvious, attack on Afrikaans schools in Gauteng – not only placing them under financial strain, but also undermining the sustainability of quality education in Afrikaans.
In a province where education is already under pressure, it is unacceptable that a specific language community has to bear the greatest burden, without prior consultation or clear justification.
In addition to the subsidy reduction, schools also face possibly losing departmental teaching posts while still having to budget for essential expenses and staff.
The Freedom Front Plus deems this decision unjust and unacceptable, particularly because most schools have already finalised their 2026 budgets and communicated school fee requirements to parents.
The party will immediately engage with the MEC for Education, Matome Chiloane, to seek clarity on the motivation for this decision.
The party would like to know why only quintile-5 schools are affected, and how it is possible to suddenly amend a budget that has already been adopted.
Clarity should be provided on the redirection of funds, including whether they will be allocated to other schools, and if that is the case, why is it done in such a disruptive manner.
Plans are already in place; resource allocation cannot be arbitrarily amended a mere two months before the end of a school year. This is a recipe for chaos, and a slap in the face of responsible financial management.
