Basic Education budget takes a knock
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga says the sector has had to take a budget cut as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Motshekga tabled the sector’s 2020/21 budget vote on Wednesday.
She said the department will shed R2.1 billion in the coming financial year.
“Firstly, the initial overall 2020/21 budget allocation for the DBE before adjustments, was just over R25.3 billion; an increase of 3.3% from last year’s baseline.
“However, after the adjustments, the overall 2020/21 budget allocation for the DBE, was reduced to over R23.2 billion, which is a decrease of 5.3% for last year’s baseline. Therefore, the total reduction after the adjustments from the initial 2020/21 budget allocation, is just less than R2.1 billion.”
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This comes after academics last year called for the scrapping of performance bonuses for university vice chancellors and executives. Remuneration hit the headlines again after it emerged that University of South Africa's (Unisa) Mandla Makhanya and Tshilidzi Marwala of the University of Johannesburg (UJ) each took home R1.1m in bonuses last year.
She added the sector has had to adapt to the changes brought on by the pandemic.
“We continue to roll-out our plans, projects, programmes and interventions to ensure that the social justice principles, which characterise the basic education system are implemented. This, we must continue to do, despite the challenges we face, including the new normal brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Motshekga.
Last month, Finance Minister Tito Mboweni also announced the emergency Covid-19 budget in the face of a financial crisis.
The education sector was thrown a lifeline with an additional R5 billion to assist in making up lost time.