R6bn set aside for basic education in the Province

NEARLY R6 billion will be spent on basic education in the Northern Cape in the 2017/18 financial year, with the MEC for Education in the Province, Martha Bartlett, yesterday tabling an annual budget aimed at ensuring that neither poverty, hunger nor disability would keep pupils out of the classroom.

In total, R5.8 billion has been appropriated to education in the Northern Cape, with nearly R810 million earmarked for various conditional grants, including the newly created conditional grant for pupils with profound intellectual disabilities.

During her budget speech yesterday, Bartlett announced that 50 professional posts for remedial teachers, occupational therapists, psychologists, speech therapists and many others had been allocated to provide the requisite support to both teachers and pupils.

“We continue to work in collaboration with the departments of Health and Social Development in the screening, identification, assessment and support programme (SIAS) which focuses on screening pupils in the foundation phase to see if they have hearing, visual, intellectual or any other learning impairment,” said Bartlett.

“This is an integral part of the broader psychosocial support in schools. The importance of early identification of learning barriers in pupils cannot be overemphasised.

“This grant is aimed at responding more effectively to the needs of children with severe to profound intellectual disability (SPID) to ensure their meaningful participation in education.”

Nearly R1.3 billion will be divided between the costs of administration and infrastructural development.

This includes R623.57 million to be spent on a number of key, multi-year projects, some of which are already under way.

These include a state-of-the-art facility at Redirile, in the Frances Baard District, while the buildings of Greenpoint Primary (Frances Baard), Karos (ZF Mgcawu), Khiba Middle School ( John Taolo Gaetsewe-JTG), Kitlanyang (JTG) and Loxton Primary School (Pixley ka Seme) are due to be replaced.

“The magnitude of the school infrastructure backlog still remains enormous,” added Bartlett. “However, we are making steady progress in addressing these.”

Ensuring that pupils don’t go hungry or are prevented from attending school due to financial constraints, has also been prioritised with R180 million to be spent on the national school nutrition programme.

“In terms of our no-fee school policy,

R223 million has been allocated for the 2017/18 financial year.

“The budget has significantly increased from R212 million in the 2016/17 financial year. A total of 189 601 pupils are benefiting from our no-fee schools.

“We have allocated R10 million for an estimated 20 000 pupils who will be exempted from paying school fees.”

An additional R1.1 million will go towards the 2018 SGB General Elections, with the

MEC explaining that this investment will cover advocacy and training of officials, teachers and guardians, as well as towards conducting the elections themselves.

An amount of R142 million has been set aside for examination and education services and close to R100 million for early childhood development.

The 2017/18 budget for the Independent Schools is R9.1million and is expected to grow to R10.2million by the 2019/20 financial year.

“This will be transferred to six independent schools that we subsidise. We continue to monitor these schools to ensure compliance to policies,” Bartlett added.