Gauteng cuts funding to 'wealthier' Quintile 5 schools - EWN

Gauteng’s Quintile 5 public schools are receiving less money from the education department than they did last year.

Since April, the Gauteng Department of Education has been paying so-called 'wealthy' schools R315 per learner.

That's down from the R879 paid in 2025, compared with R919 and R1,835 for learners in Quintile 4 and Quintile 1 to 3 schools respectively. 

Schools including King Edward VII and Parktown Boys High are among those affected.

Speaking to CapeTalk/702’s Mandy Wiener, Gauteng Education spokesperson Onwabile Lubhelwana initially described the change as a funding realignment rather than a cut.

"The department has not necessarily cut the funding for quintile 5 schools; it just complied with the national norms and standards for school funding."

But Wiener pointed out that schools were receiving less than before.

“Yes, it is paying less", Lubhelwana admitted. "Government is paying less because of the budget constraints.”