Basic Education Minister, Ms Siviwe Gwarube, delivered her maiden Basic Education Budget Vote Speech for the 2024/25 Financial Year, to the National Council of Provinces in the NCOP Chamber, Parliament, in Cape Town on 24 July 2024. The combined total budget allocation for the DBE and the nine Provincial Education Departments (PEDs) is R324.5 billion, an increase of 3.4% from the 2023/24 revised estimates.
“We operate under extremely difficult fiscal conditions which require innovation, creativity and firm financial discipline in all our provinces. This is a clarion call to all our stakeholders in the sector and PEDs to tighten belts, accelerate delivery and guard against falling foul of their constitutional responsibilities of delivering quality education to all. Whilst there are improvements in terms of outcomes at matric level, I remain deeply concerned about the financial management of some provinces and the infrastructure backlogs which remain. All provinces must pull together to sustain the improvements that have been made throughout the years,” said the Minister, informing officials that she will be visiting all nine provinces to engage with PEDs.
The Minister said that MECs must hold departments accountable and drive outcomes. The Council of Education Ministers (CEM) in the 6th Administration had approved a provincial inclusive basket to provide monitoring and evaluation oversight to all PEDs performances. The provincial inclusive basket includes performance in the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations, according to the fee paying status of the schools. The markers of success were: performance in critical subjects, including Accounting, Mathematics, Physical Science and Technical Mathematics; participation in Mathematics; Bachelor passes attained; passes with distinctions achieved; and throughput ratios achieved. Mpumalanga, the Western Cape, and the Eastern Cape have achieved the highest throughput ratios; Free State, KZN and Gauteng have achieved higher percentage pass rates; Eastern Cape, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the North West have higher Maths participation; Limpopo and Free State have higher achievement in Accounting; Western Cape, Free State, Gauteng and North West have higher performance in Maths and Physical Sciences; and KZN and the Western Cape have higher passes with distinctions. “The work that has been done in the provinces should not only be sustained; but radically improved in the next 5 years”, said the Minister.
Minister Gwarube reiterated the five key priorities for the 7th Administration. These are access to and quality of Early Childhood Development (EDC); improving literacy and numeracy skills across all phases of schooling; improving access to and the quality of inclusive education; improving access to and the quality of training and professional development opportunities for school management teams and teachers; and improving the safety and quality of schooling environments for learners and teachers, including overcrowding in classrooms, access to electricity, water, and adequate sanitation facilities, and removing inappropriate structures, such as pit latrine toilets.
In conclusion, Minister Gwarube implored the NCOP, as the House concerned with provincial mandates, to conduct vigorous oversight for improved service delivery and expressed her gratitude to the Select Committee on Education, Sciences and Creative Industries for its invaluable commitment to holding the Department accountable against targets and goals set.