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Cape Town - Education, with the emphasis on improving quality, takes up the largest share of government spending in the 2011 budget tabled by Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan in parliament. Of the R189.5bn allocated to education, R154.5bn will go to basic education.
The budget review document places education spending firmly in the context of the key theme of the 2011 budget: job creation.
“Education is key to sustaining long-term growth, increasing employment and reducing inequality,” reads the document, which is also frank about the challenges. These include infrastructure backlogs, low literacy levels, maths and science as well as the high failure rates at universities and other tertiary institutions.
Aside from receiving 21% of non-interest allocations this year, education also receives the largest share of the additional allocations which include:
• An amount of R8.3bn over the medium-term expenditure framework period is added for schools infrastructure, and a programme is to address backlogs in school facilities over a three-year period.
• Almost R1bn for "funza lushaka" teacher bursaries, and bursaries for postgraduate students in natural sciences.
• R9.5bn is provided for expanding further education, training colleges and skills development.
Gordhan, who also set aside an extra R24.3bn for the training of teachers, reminded the two ministers of education that they exercise stewardship over the largest network of service providers in the economy, and the “most important” programme of investment in future growth and redistribution.
The budget review document places education spending firmly in the context of the key theme of the 2011 budget: job creation.
“Education is key to sustaining long-term growth, increasing employment and reducing inequality,” reads the document, which is also frank about the challenges. These include infrastructure backlogs, low literacy levels, maths and science as well as the high failure rates at universities and other tertiary institutions.
Aside from receiving 21% of non-interest allocations this year, education also receives the largest share of the additional allocations which include:
• An amount of R8.3bn over the medium-term expenditure framework period is added for schools infrastructure, and a programme is to address backlogs in school facilities over a three-year period.
• Almost R1bn for "funza lushaka" teacher bursaries, and bursaries for postgraduate students in natural sciences.
• R9.5bn is provided for expanding further education, training colleges and skills development.
Gordhan, who also set aside an extra R24.3bn for the training of teachers, reminded the two ministers of education that they exercise stewardship over the largest network of service providers in the economy, and the “most important” programme of investment in future growth and redistribution.
