Gauteng’s fee-paying public schools are bracing for severe budget strain after the Solidarity Research Institute reported a sharp reduction in the 2026 provincial subsidy for quintile 5 learners. The allocation per learner is set to fall from roughly R900 to R315, a 65% cut that the institute says will affect more than 750 schools.

Quintile five schools are public schools in wealthier communities, as determined by factors like community income and unemployment levels. These are fee-paying schools that receive a lower government subsidy per learner compared to poorer schools in lower quintiles.

According to the report, the Gauteng Department of Education notified schools of the change only after the 30 September budgeting deadline, leaving governing bodies with little time to rework staffing and operating plans for next year. The findings point to a wider funding and staffing crunch across the quintile 5 cohort as schools try to revise budgets already submitted for 2026.

The institute’s analysis frames the cuts as a systemic pressure point that will test school finances in the coming year, with administrators now scrambling to adjust spending and close gaps created by the late notice.