Source: Education vote to spur rural school development – DailyNews Live
Caroline Chiimba 6 January 2019
HARARE – The $1,132 billion allocated to the Primary and Secondary
Education ministry will bankroll teacher training in local languages, and
fund rural education and development, Finance minister Mthuli Ncube has
said.
This was after lawmakers had raised queries about the arrested development
in rural schools.
Ncube said the education sector received the highest allocation of $1,5
billion in the 2019 National Budget with the Primary and Secondary
Education ministry receiving the lion’s share of $1,132 billion.
The ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology
Development was allocated $380,8 million, with a big chunk of the kitty
channelled towards supporting disadvantaged students who are unable to
access funding under the student loan facility (Edu-Loan) as well as
equipping laboratories at teachers’ colleges and infrastructural
development at the State universities.
He said the allocation is in line with the education sector strategy plan
(2016-2020).
“There is a question about supporting teacher training in local languages
especially for Kariba, Binga and Beitbridge among other places. Mr
Speaker, I respond to say that resources have been allocated under the
teacher capacity development programme and that will really take care of
teacher training in local languages as well,” Ncube said.
“There is a question about the introduction of an education, equalisation
fund to fund the rural education and development. Once again, the
education Budget is actually the largest in terms of allocation. So we
have really put a lot of resources towards this very important sector and
some of the allocations for the US$310m for devolution, some of that
certainly will go towards dealing with the education sector.”
He also said he was very clear about investing in infrastructure for the
education sector particularly primary education.
“There is a document Mr Speaker Sir, which is not a Parliamentary document in terms of it being required to be tabled here but I am very happy to
share with all the honourable members here present and those in the Upper
House and it is a detailed infrastructure investment plan for 2019,
everything that we invest in infrastructure is in this book.
“I will just turn to page 73 of this book to just show you what we are
doing for the education sector. We are going to be investing US$32,7m in
building new schools at primary and secondary level. I will just pick a
region at random for instance in Mashonaland East we are going to spend
US$650 000 on upgrading and construction of Chitepo Secondary School, just one example.
“In Mashonaland East, US$1m to be spend on Wedza Primary, so I am just
saying that it is very important to realise that we have a plan for this
ministry and we are doing quite a bit of work in making sure that all the
capital development investment is done and we will improve the quality of
education in the rural areas.” Ncube said.
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