Finance MEC hands out
JOHANNESBURG – The Department of Education has been allocated R49.4 billion.
The departments of education, social services and health received the biggest chunk of the R132.4 billion provincial budget presented by the MEC for Finance Barbara Creecy on 5 March.
With the huge backlog of school infrastructure and maintenance in the province, Creecy announced that the department of education would be allocated R49.4 billion. R3.7 billion for direct transfers to ordinary public schools, early childhood development sites and special schools. R2.9 billion would go to the special schools’ sector for children living with disabilities. School nutrition will receive R1.3 billion and R1 billion for scholar transport.
In his State of the Province Address, Premier David Makhura mentioned that the province had invested a lot on modernisation and expansion of educational infrastructure and human resources to cater for the growing population and meet the needs of the new economy and society in the fourth industrial revolution.
Creecy revealed that R815 million has been allocated for e-learning devices which will continue to transform township schools. Furthermore, R1.4 billion will go to the employment of more teachers to accommodate the growing number of learners, R531.4 million to improve Grade 12 results and R56 million to improve the teaching of maths and science.
The Department of Health received a whopping R50.8 billion with R30 billion allocated to fund the personnel budget including the intake of interns and community health workers. R17 billion will fund goods and services, R148 million for the Cuban Doctor Programme, R150.1 million for the department to obtain new office space following the Bank of Lisbon building incident and R300 million to compensate families of the Life Esidimeni victims.
The Department of Social Development received R5.5 billion. Services for children including funding for new early childhood development centres, R154 million for services to people living with disabilities, R92 million for food parcels, R145 million for dignity packs, R161 million for schools, R395 million to fight substance abuse, R86 million to employ 153 new social workers, R15 million for the placement of 350 social work interns and R326 million for resourcing 26 community based care facilities that provide support to 24 407 older persons.
Allocations for other departments are:
• Department of Economic
Development – R1.6 billion
- Department of Agriculture and Rural
- Development – R990 million
- Department of Human Settlement –R5.347 billion
- Department of Roads and Transport – R1.797 billion
- Department of Sports, Culture and Recreation – R1.1 billion
- e-Government – R1.4 billion
- Infrastructure – R33.7 billion
- Safety and Anti Corruption – R291 million.
Related article:
https://fourwaysreview.co.za/298856/citys-health-department-struggles-cope-undocumented-persons/
