The Free State will spend almost half of its R11,6-billion budget for the 2006/07 financial year on education, provincial finance minister Tate Makgoe said on Friday.
”Education produces future leaders. [It is] an investment into the future of the province,” Makgoe said after delivering the provincial budget in Bloemfontein.
R4,1-billion will go to ordinary public education from grades one to 12, with special focus on the introduction of no-fee schools, the National Curriculum Statement and the provision of learner-teacher support material.
”Education is a very important department in terms of the future and we will continue to invest in education,” Makgoe said.
The province has also budgeted R1-billion for comprehensive primary health care and R153-million for HIV/Aids treatment management, care and support in the department of health.
Together, the social and human development sphere (R9,7-billion) will take up more than 84% of the provincial budget.
About 11,9% of the budget (R1,389-billion) will go to economic development and employment creation through departmental allocations to public works and roads, agriculture and tourism, environmental and economic affairs.
Makgoe said the emphasis is on infrastructure.
”Let me sound a warning to infrastructure-delivery departments that this is one of the highest priorities of government over the next period.
”The provincial treasury will also do regular assessments to report progress in this regard. [It] would be based on physical site visits to projects, assessments on whether all suppliers are paid within 30 days of service delivery and whether spending supports the disadvantage.”
Free State opposition parties were generally positive about the budget.
Freedom Front Plus leader Abrie Oosthuizen said, however, the provincial government could do more in collecting its own revenue. ”The 3,4% provincial collection of own revenue to the budget is far less than expected.”
DA spokesperson Peter Frewen said although the provincial minister highlighted the more than R500-million being allocated to roads, it is ”nowhere” near enough to get the Free State’s roads up to standard.
”Sixty percent of the paved roads in the Free State are considered poor to very poor. The gravel-road system is on the verge of total collapse and claims for accidents against the department have increased from R1-million in 2000/01 to just over R70-million in 2005/06.”
Frewen said the backlog in roads expenditure is estimated at R5-billion. — Sapa