Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga conceded on Wednesday that government spending per pupil had declined sharply since 2010, saying she was "very anxious" about the effect of current wage demands on future spending. A recent study by Stellenbosch University researcher Nic Spaull found that government funding per pupil fell 8% from 2010 to 2017, from R17,822 per child to R16,435. Teacher salaries rose 57% from 2010 to 2016, compared with a 38% increase in the consumer price index, according to his research. "We are very anxious about the ongoing [wage] negotiations, and what they are going to do with the budgets," Motshekga said ahead of her budget speech in Parliament. The Treasury has budgeted for an average increase of 7.3% in the wage bill a year, but unions are demanding more. Motshekga said that while she agreed with Spaull’s finding about the decline in per pupil spending, she did not agree with his conclusion that her department should have anticipated an increase in th...
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