Hon Chair, let me thank me thank members for the debate and for the inputs that we received from different members. There are a few things that I wanted to raise which members have raised around infrastructure that indeed we believe that the provision and maintenance of infrastructure needs attention. That is why we have developed a programme to revisit the current model and we are working with Treasury and other service providers like the Development Bank of South Africa, DBSA to make sure that we can revamp and improve our performance in that area.
Also, during this year we have agreed to revamp the National Educating Infrastructure Management System, NEIMS, and we are working on that with the Council of Scientific Industrial Research with the review of redesigning our schools and also making sure that they continue to be appropriate with the changing needs in the curriculum. There were also points which were raised around learners with special needs. I did mention that we have been provided with resources for the first time as the department to really look at the capacity of the sector in dealing with learners with severe and profound intellectual disabilities. We will be monitoring the capacity of provinces.
Before I close Chair, I want to take this opportunity to thank hon members for the debate, the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education and the committee, my former colleague Mr Enver Surty with whom we have started some of the programmes and my current colleague Dr Mhaule. Let me express my appreciation to the members of the Select Committee, the Whips but also to the department in particular the head of department and our officials. I am immensely grateful to our learners who are the core of our business. Our teachers and the teacher
unions worked very well with us and our principals, parents and school governing bodies continued to make our schools work.
I also want to thank the other partners in the sector, ie, SA Council of Educators, Sace; Education Labour Relations Council, ELRC, National Education Collaboration Trust, NCET and the Education, Training and Development Practices, EDTP sector. I just want to remind everyone that in the next five years we will find each other. This debate is not a sector debate. The sector itself has a total budget of R281 billion and R256 billion get transferred to the provinces. In addition to the R34 billion we are talking about, R18,6 billion also goes to the provinces.
IsiXhosa:
Iza kusinceda ke le nkcaza ukuze singathethi ngezinto ekungathethwa ngazo.
English:
It is very difficult to engage because people talk about things we are not talking about. Others bring their moral values whereas we are not talking about the morals here, whether it is
Christians or Muslims. That is immaterial; we are not talking about morals of different people and different parties. We are talking about what is on the budget and not any other things. [Applause.]
Unfortunately, I think my colleagues from the left expected more. We have been together in the sector and that is why they understand the concurrency of functions. Some of things they are raising may be happening in provinces. That is why we need representation elsewhere because I cannot be reporting on what is happening elsewhere, where the function is located. This is not a sector debate and not a sector budget, therefore let us talk ...
IsiXhosa:
Makuthethwe kule ndawo kuthethwa ngayo.
English:
So that I can really appreciate that you understand.
IsiXhosa:
Eyona nto ndiyiqaphelayo apha kukuba akuqondwa apha, abantu bayathetha njeee.
English:
People are going all over. [Interjections.]