BuaNews (Tshwane)
Luyanda Makapela
23 April 2008
Cape Town — The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has allocated more than R40-million extra for rural schools who struggle to find qualified and competent teachers with the aim to attract such staff in schools.
This was announced by Western Cape Education MEC Cameron Dugmore at the Provincial Legislature on Tuesday.
"There are some posts at the relevant schools which are vacant that have always been a challenge for the provincial department to fill permanently.
"As a consequence, one of the objectives of the incentives scheme is to address the filling of such posts," said MEC Dugmore during question and answer session at the Western Cape Provinvial Legislature on Tuesday.
The MEC said the allocated amount of over R40 million as per the policy on incentives for educators was gazetted by the Education Minister Naledi Pandor on 15 December 2007.
He said the national Department of Education has issued the guidelines for the implementation of the incentives for educators on 13 March 2008.
On Monday, the WCED announced that it has increased allocation in the education budget and will primarily be used to provide the poorest schools with libraries, science labs, halls and extra classes.
Delivering the education budget on Friday, MEC Dugmore said R9 million will be budgeted for Grade R as well as providing further teacher training and improved school management systems.
"In the next three years we will target improving the quality of education including systemic evaluation and in-service training and teacher development programmes to enhance the quality of teaching in critical subjects such as mathematics and life orientation," said MEC Dugmore.
The budget will also prioritise school building and maintenance; inclusive education and special schools and expansion of the National School Nutrition Programme, among others.
Mr Dugmore explained that in the school system, norms and standards funding will be allocated according to national poverty quintiles with the poorest quintile receiving, on average, six times more than the least poor.
He added that the focus of the budget on matters of access and redress was a critical reminder of government's business.
"This year, we commit ourselves to shaping and managing improved achievement of learning outcomes through further teacher training and development and target-setting and accountability across the system.
"We know what the needs are and we will do all in our power to support teachers and learners," said Mr Dugmore.
In March this year, the department provisionally budgeted R9 billion for education to ensure quality outcomes throughout the system.
In her budget speech, Finance and Tourism MEC Lynne Brown said the education budget had grown by R1.3 billion to more than R9 billion in 2008/09, with expenditure of R29-billion over the next three years.
MEC Brown said an increase in the Community Safety Department's budget allocation would also benefit schools.
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