Eastern Cape schools challenge government over years of underfunding

The case, brought by the Makhanda Circle of Unity and three Makhanda-based public schools, is being heard in the Eastern Cape High Court in Makhanda. The Legal Resources Centre LRC, representing the schools, states that the department has deviated from the per-pupil school allocation target since 2020. For instance, in the 2021-22 financial year, schools in the Eastern Cape received R816 per pupil, significantly less than the R1,466 target.

Similarly, in the 2022-23 financial year, they received only 53% of the per-pupil allocation. Although the department announced it would fund schools at the per-pupil target for the 2023-24 financial year, the LRC alleges that only 64.25% of each school's full allocation was transferred. Kathija Yassim, a professor at North-West University, emphasized that the case is about educational justice and the constitutional promise of equitable quality education, highlighting the negative impact of structural underfunding on teaching, learning, dignity, and educational opportunity.

Sadtu spokesperson Nomusa Cembi expressed concern over the underfunding, noting a national march in 2025 to protest the issue and calling for the department to adequately fund public education. Provincial education spo