The Eastern Cape Department of Education (ECDoE) admitted in the Makhanda High Court that its decision to withhold billions of rands from public schools was both unlawful and unconstitutional. The case centers on a 2020 decision by the department to deviate from the mandated per-learner school allocation target, which forms a vital part of each school's yearly operating budget. According to calculations presented in the matter, approximately R6-billion has been held back by the department since 2020. Colleen Makhubele spoke to Claire Rankin  Legal Resources Centre (LRC), Madeline Schoeman former Principal at Ntsika Secondary School in Eastern Cape and Loyiso Mbinda Eastern Cape Provincial CEO from NAPTOSA .