Committee Report on Education Departments Budget 2009/10
Meeting Summary
The two Education Committees adopted their Joint Report on the Department of Education’s Budget 2009/10, recommending that the budget be approved by the National Assembly. In this report the Committee noted that the Department of Education was to be split into two Departments: (a) Basic Education and (b) Higher Education and Training. However, pending the division, the current budget would be processed as a single vote until the necessary legal changes were effected later in the year. The budget briefings had acquainted the Portfolio Committees with the mandates and projects of each unit in the Department as well as its statutory bodies.The Report identified issues identified by the Committees that were on concern and that needed follow up. Some of the concerns were about early childhood development and resources for Grade R; Student Financial Aid; and whether budgetary commitments at the national level materialised in the provinces given the ability of the provincial treasuries to amend allocations. They also requested employment equity profiles for each of the statutory bodies. A follow-up meeting would be held.
Meeting report
Mr M Fransman (Chairperson) urged members to identify key issues within the Committee Report. He emphasised that follow up on the critical issues raised should be made.
Ms F Cohan (Chairperson) pointed out that the committee secretaries had sent out letters to the Departments and its various institutions, to serve as a reminder about the tasks they had undertaken to do and requesting progress reports on the issues that had been raised by members. Once the progress reports had been sent to the committee, they would be distributed to members.
She then noted that the parliamentary publication: Announcements, Tablings and Committee Reports (ATC), had requested that their reports be limited to two pages as the publication had to deal with many committee reports on budgets.
Mr Mpontshane (IFP) stated that he was worried that some critical points were not included in the Committee Report, and so based on the Chair’s explanation about follow-up, he was relieved.
Mr Fransman mentioned that a synopsis would be made based on the reports received from the Departments and it would also be distributed to the members as soon as it became available.
Mr D Kganare (COPE) stated that issues regarding the National Student Financial Aid had been raised as there has been a difficulty with monies being returned as the universities failed to spend the budgets allocated to them for student aid.
Mr N Kganyago (UDM) said that he needed clarity on whether the discussion held by the Committee meant that the members support the budget report.
The Chair responded that the discussion just showed that the Committee had met and deliberated. It was important to have this discussion as they were required to report back to the National Assembly on what occurred. The Committee would deal with the budget debate at a later stage.
Mr D Smiles (DA) requested a follow up about the promise made by the Department to make an investigation into various institutions.
The Chairperson said that certain issues would be followed up at a later stage as time progressed. She went onto say that except in the case were a specific report was asked for, individual MPs should make follow ups, as only the issues such as gender clarity and racial breakdowns were submitted to the Department for report back.
Mr Fransman proposed the adoption of the Committee Report.
The Report was adopted by the Committee
Meeting adjourned.
Audio
Present
- We don't have attendance info for this committee meeting
Download as PDF
You can download this page as a PDF using your browser's print functionality. Click on the "Print" button below and select the "PDF" option under destinations/printers.
See detailed instructions for your browser here.