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JOHANNESBURG – The Basic Education Department says it can’t afford to bring in substitute teachers.

This after up to 22,000 teachers with comorbidities applied to work from home and have been approved.

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga says, “We don’t have new money. So we have to be extremely cautious about how we employ because we are then taking all the reserves we have.”

Chris Klopper of the SA Teachers Unions says it would be expensive to employ 22,000 find educators.

Motshekga says a bid to treasury has been made.

“We have made a bid to the treasury, to say as things look, we are unlikely to cope within the budget. That’s why we appreciate donations so that we don’t use our money for other things. We use our money for learning and teaching.”

For now, learning and teaching are continuing as best as possible under the circumstances.