FPE grant increases by 20%, gets E45.6m
It is estimated that the complete construction of the ICC will cost about E4.8 billion.
MBABANE – The International Conventional Centre (ICC), which is still under construction in Ezulwini, has been allocated an amount of around E800 million.
This amount of money is for interior works.
According to the Government Book of Estimates, the money is categorised in two: E624 447 817 is loan funds; and E176 million is local funds.
The ICC, which consists of a multipurpose hall, theatre and exhibition space, is not a stand-alone pro
MANZINI – After a series of complaints about the FPE grant, which has been stagnant since its inception 13 years ago, government has responded by increasing it by 20 per cent.
The increase of the free primary education (FPE) Grant was announced by the Minister of Finance, Neal Rijkenberg, when he delivered the Budget Speech yesterday that government would spend about E45.6 million per year.
Government implemented the FPE in 2010 through the Free Primary Education (FPE) Act No.1 of 2010 and according to the Act, for Grade I and II pupils, the administration paid E560 per pupil per year. Meanwhile, for Grade III and IV, it paid E580 per pupil per year and for Grade V and VI, the grant was fixed at E640 and E670, respectively. On the other hand, for Grade VII government paid E1 010 per pupil per year.
Implementation
The minister said government would be increasing the FPE grant per learner and the implementation of the revised fees would commence in the fiscal year 2023/2024 at a 20 per cent level of adjustment, amounting to E45.6 million.
On the other hand, the Swaziland Association of Schools Administrators (SASA) Secretary General Sphasha Dlamini said since the inception of the FPE, government had been paying the above amount while inflation had been increasing. ject but is being built alongside a hotel known as the Five Star Hotel (FISH), and this has led to the development being named the ICC&FISH.
The latest allocation for the ICC will see the total
A TABLE SHOWING THE OLD AND NEW FPE GRANT
Grade I
Grade VI
A TABLE SHOWING SASA QUICK SURVEY FEES
Grade I
Grade II
Grade II
Grade VI
NB: Old fees are based on the FPE Act No.1 of 2010
A graph showing the old and new FPE grant.
“In that regard, as an organisation, we view the 20 per cent as a baby step toward the right direction,” the unionist said.
She emphasised that the 20 per cent increase would never be enough for obvious reasons of stagnation since 2009/2010.
Increment
Grade III
Grade III
She added that the increment was not enough because it had taken too long to increase the grant, which meant that the 20 per cent had been drowned by the inflation rate over the years, since 2010. amount spent on this particular part of the development rise to around E3 billion.
Already, an amount of E2 255 983 000 (E2.25 billion) has been spent and the actual figure that has been allocated towards the construction for the coming financial year is E800 447 817.
It is estimated that the complete construction of the ICC will cost E4 785 859 000 (about E4.8 billion).
Meanwhile, the FISH part
Grade IV
Grade IV
Grade V
Grade V of
Grade VII
Again, she said another issue was that some schools had very low enrolment, which denotes the amount of grant to be received by those institutions.
“If all was well, there should be a minimum amount, then enrolment. An increase of 100 per cent for five years would cushion the low enrolment schools better,” the secretary said.
After that, she said they had run a quick survey that gave them a conclusion that government should put a standard infrastructure in all schools in the the development has been allocated E10 million in local funds to complete buildings and interior works of the hotel structure.
As at March 31, 2022, the money spent on the hotel structure stood at E1 846 439 000 (E1.84 billion). Estimates indicate that the hotel structure will cost E2 580 086 000 (2.58 billion).
This means that for the entire ICC&FISH, it is estimated that the total cost, once the project is complete, will stand at E7 365 945 000 (E7.36 billion).
In October 2022, the Ministry of Economic Planning and Development, which is responsible for such capital projects, had to fend off reports which alleged that the development was sinking.
Thula Simelane, the Communications Officer, told this newspaper that the hotel, in particular, was sitting on top of 1 016 piles, and these piles were driven to form part of the substructure of the building.
SASA QUICK SURVEY:
● Grade I and II - E560 grant + E440 top-up-fee = E 1 000
● Grade III and IV E580 + E620 top-up-fee = E 1 200
● Grade V E640 + E660 top-up-fee = E 1 300
● Grade VI and VII E670 + E830 top-up-fee = E 1 500
● The 20 per cent increase should be added to the above totals.
country, pay the grant having taken into consideration the enrolments in the institutions, especially those in rural areas.
Furthermore, she said going forward; they suggest that government should remove the payment structure from the FPE Act because it had become a barrier for its restructuring. Instead, she said a uniform infrastructure that would provide all the core and practical subjects in all schools was a must in order to avoid over-enrolment in schools.
She also suggested that schools should be made accessible by ensuring roads are in good conditions and accommodate all forms of transport. On the same note, the Eswatini Principals Association (EPA) General Secretary
Mduduzi Masilela said they appreciate the effort by government, but he highlighted that the 20 per cent increase of the FPE grant was just a drop in an ocean. He said the increase of prices for learning equipment, salaries and utility tariffs since 2010, should be taken into consideration.
He said they could not suggest what amount would be enough for schools to operate smoothly without conducting a study on the cost of educating a primary pupil at this time. However, he said as an organisation, they believed there was a need to establish a financing model for both primary and secondary schools, because even when it comes to the orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) grant, it was not enough.