Madam Chairperson, to the question of Ms M G Boroto from the ANC, Mpumalanga, the answer with regard to transport is as follows. The provincial education departments are responsible for the provision of learner transport. In their planning, identification of learners requiring learner transport is done per school per district for those learners meeting the criteria. The first priority is learners in rural and farm areas who walk long distances to and from school. Learner transport is planned and provided based on the information provided and availability of budgets. Identification and assessment of beneficiaries is done on an annual basis.
The department has not yet received provincial plans for the current financial year. Information relating to sections (1) (a) and (b) of Questions 42 will be provided once these plans are received. Table 1, which I will table because it has a lot of data, shows the total number of learner transport beneficiaries per province in the 2010-11 financial year. If I could perhaps just highlight that, the number of learners per province will be very quick to note: Eastern Cape, 128 700; Gauteng, more than 50 000; Free State, more than 5 500; KwaZulu-Natal, 2 606; Limpopo, 12 688; Mpumalanga, 65 000; Northern Cape, 19 324; North West, 19 482 and Western Cape, 47 792.
Table 1
There are different routes that are used by the agencies that are responsible for transport and, if there are any interim measures in place, we say that all the provincial departments are providing learner transport to learners who travel long distances to and from school.
Each province has its own norms and criteria for identifying beneficiaries. To date, the department has not received any information that indicates the need for interim measures to transport learners -that is, other than the Eastern Cape, where amongst the problems that faced the administration was the transportation of learners. Hon members are no doubt aware that in terms of the notice that I provided verbally here in this House, we took a decision to intervene in terms of section 100. Amongst the areas that we are going to intervene in, or rather that we have intervened in, is the area of transport. I thank you.
Deputy Minister, thank you for the answer and we acknowledge that it is a provincial competency. Having said that, I must just say that in staying in these rural areas, where I travel most of the time, I find learners on the streets because the buses have broken down. The condition of the transport modes that are being used is not very pleasing, honestly. You find that they are not capable of doing the job and most of the time even the drivers themselves seem not to be qualified to drive.
I want to know if any proposals can be made for a working relationship between the department and the traffic officials, or maybe the metro police, in regard to their constantly monitoring whether learners are being transported on safe modes of transport, and by people who are qualified to do so. Thank you.
Madam Chair, I thank the hon member. I think what the hon member is raising is critical to the safety of our learners. Indeed, we as the Department of Basic Education have a responsibility to ensure that our learners arrive at school in safe transportation.
The inspection of vehicles is, in some instances, overseen by the Department of Basic Education, although the fact is that in some of the provinces the responsibility is assumed by the provincial departments. In two of the provinces the responsibility has been taken over by the Department of Transport, as in the North West, for example. We cannot prescribe to a province what agency it should use, but we do state the minimum standards with regard to the safety of vehicles and the prohibition of overcrowding of vehicles. The concerns that we express are the concerns we have to raise.
Transport is a very difficult challenge that we face. If you take areas such as Limpopo, the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, and you go to the deep rural areas and look at the conditions of the roads and the availability of public transport, you begin to understand much more empathetically the enormous challenges that we face. However, we do subscribe to the view that we have to do whatever is necessary in the best interests of the learner, in order to ensure that his or her journey to the school is one that is easy and safe. I thank you for your contribution.
Hon Deputy Minister, I did approach the Minister about the situation in the Eastern Cape in regard to scholar transport. The contractors have still not been paid for the months from October 2010 until March 2011. With your intervention, is there any hope that those monies will be paid now in this financial year, and, in fact, in this month, because the contractors are facing repossession of vehicles?
The second question is this. There are certain schools ... [Interjections.]
Hon Van Lingen, was that a written question?
Yes, it is related to this.
Or was it something that you had actually written before?
No, this is coming out of my head.
All right. If that is the case, may I ask you to sit down?
But it is related to this, hon Chairperson, and it is a Xhosa-speaking school route that is not funded.
Hon Van Lingen, you know the ruling. Thank you.
Deputy Chairperson, I just want to put a quick follow-up question to the response that the Deputy Minister gave. We appreciate the challenges explained by the Department of Education. The follow-up question is: Is it not proper for the department to give the responsibility for scholar transport to the Department of Basic Transport? Are you looking at such a possibility in the future? Thank you.
Thank you very much, hon member. Indeed, the recommendation from Cabinet itself is that Transport should seriously look at that as a responsibility that it should assume, of course with due regard to collaboration with the Department of Basic Education, particularly with regard to safety measures. It is a transitional arrangement and I see provinces seem to be progressing in that direction.
As you no doubt understand, it falls within the ambit and responsibility of a province and we cannot prescribe to a province what is the most appropriate or suitable course of events. However, the indications and the recommendation from the national government itself are that it could be best assumed by the Department of Transport, provided mechanisms are put in place.
You cannot merely hand over a responsibility and function to a department if does not have the public transport available, or if it it does not have the inspection facilities and the capacity to be able to carry it out. So, these are being negotiated by the provinces internally, amongst themselves. Thank you very much.
Location of schools in provinces receiving services with view to eradicating mud schools, budget allocation for delivery of such services and job creation resulting therefrom
57. Mr M J R de Villiers (DA) asked the Minister of Basic Education:
With regard to her department's plans to (a) eradicate 395 mud schools, (b) provide 1 370 schools with water supply, (c) provide 536 schools with sanitation and (d) supply 1 434 schools with electricity, (i) in which provinces are these schools where these services will be delivered, (ii) what is the budget allocation for each delivery of these services and (iii) how many jobs will be created in each province in the 2011-12 financial year in each case?