Deputy Speaker, members, Ministers and Deputy Ministers, we are gathered here today to support the division of nationally raised revenue between the three spheres of government, as required by our Constitution. How many times have we heard people refer to skills, infrastructure and employment - and all these can only happen through the proper allocation of resources and accountability. Haircuts by Cabinet and the reprioritisation of programmes in the departments played a major role in what we are able to decide on in this division of revenue today.
Chapter 2 of the Constitution of South Africa states:
Everyone has the right to a basic education, including adult basic education; and to further education ...
The Constitution is based on the Freedom Charter of 1955, which states:
There shall be equal status in the bodies of the state, in the courts and in the schools for all national groups and races.
The people demanded compulsory and free education.
The ANC-led government knows that poverty, unemployment and inequality can be fought through education. As one of the priority needs of government, the Department of Education received the largest portion in the budget, that of R207,3 billion from 2012 through out the MTEF, to R236,1 billion.
The Department of Basic Education received R11,3 billion for five conditional grants, which are: Dinaledi Schools Conditional Grant; HIV and Aids Conditional Grant; National School Nutrition Programme, NSNP; Technical Secondary Schools Recapitalisation Conditional Grant; and Education Infrastructure Conditional Grant. There is also R2,3 billion for the School Infrastructure Backlog Grant, which is Schedule 7.
The equitable share of provinces has been increased over the medium term to address no-fees schools' subsidies, increasing access to Grade R and also extending assessment to Grade 9 learners.
The National School Nutrition Programme is a very good initiative, which was started in this department to address poverty alleviation in quintiles 1 to 3 schools. Through this programme children are certain to get a nutritious meal and can concentrate in class as a result. However, it becomes a real concern when children are not fed because of the lack of proper equipment, lack of monitoring and noncompliance.
During the hearing with the Department of Basic Education, the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education was given a report on the 2010 backlog grant for 49 mud schools in the Eastern Cape, which was approved in October during the medium-term adjustments. They also presented us with the 2012 activity chart for the 50 schools still to be built in the Eastern Cape. The total amount on the school infrastructure backlog grant for 2012-13 is R2,3 billion, within which there is R1,5 billion for the 50 Eastern Cape schools I already mentioned.
The Portfolio Committee on Basic Education attended the hearing. We were happy because together with them we will be able to ensure value for money and accountability during the process of building these schools in all the provinces, especially in the Eastern Cape. It was gratifying to know that the 49 mud schools are already in the process of being improved and will be operational very soon.
The technical secondary schools' recapitalisation grant for the 200 technical schools is welcomed because it contributes to skills development. It is very important that students should know the importance of technical schools at the secondary level, so that they are able to make career choices at that level, because the country cannot afford to import skills that can be obtained locally.
After matric, further education and training colleges, are another option for tertiary education. As a result, there is a higher education grant, which will successfully ensure that FET college functions are transferred to the Department of Higher Education. They are established to provide a wide range of learning programmes that address the skills shortages facing the country.
Transformation is a process. The Department of Basic Education should produce learners who qualify for higher education in order to address the economic needs of the country. This has been a tough road for the Department of Basic Education. It started by redressing the worst disparities in education created by the apartheid system. All the different departments of education had to become one, with one curriculum. Educational facilities and other tools of the trade in black schools, both in urban and rural areas, had to be established and funded within the available resources. Different models of education had to be tried and reviewed and decisions had to be changed. Consultations had to be made in order to get the right model. There are still problems but there is also progress. It can be said, as we stand here, that we can now see the light. We see the light at the end of the tunnel. We see the differences that are taking place, brought about by our hon members in the Department of Education.
The Ministers are working very hard to address all the problems - this is evident. The Department of Health received R25,7 billion, allocated to seven conditional grants. On maintenance, the department, under the leadership of the Minister, commissioned a team to audit all 4 200 facilities, clinics and hospitals to report on everything that forms part of the daily operations of hospital institutions. Findings on 337 facilities were completed and reported problems in all aspects of hospital maintenance, starting from repairs and ending in every type of infrastructure - broken toilets and all. This was a brave effort taken by the Ministry of Health. As a result, there is a grant to address this.
Another brave effort, which we see as activism, came when the Ministry commissioned an audit through the Development Bank of Southern Africa to visit all the hospitals to check the qualifications of hospital managers. This was brave because we know hospital managers are the key to the efficient and effective running of hospitals. This action will turn around the management of hospitals because qualified people will run them.
Allocations for the training of health professionals are also welcomed. An annual increase of medical students at medical schools has been confirmed. It is for the Department of Health and the Ministry of Higher Education to discuss how this is going to take place. We are aware that the Department of Higher Education has a grant that will look at the improvement of university infrastructure, including student accommodation, and we think all the medical schools will also be considered during this progress.
The National Health Insurance grant will be used for selected pilot projects at the districts. This is an issue that needs serious attention and as a result more detail will be given in the Green Paper. The enactment of the National Health Act is also welcomed.
Section 13 of the Bill was also mentioned by the Department of Health, as they feel this will assist them in achieving their goals because officials will have to report on the processes that are applied with regard to projects. National Treasury will provide the format, which will link National Treasury and the department, including Members of Parliament. We will be able to do our oversight because we will be working with facts.
I would like to refer the House to what hon Grant Snell said, based on the fact that there were problems between the money transferred to the provinces and the priorities not linking up. There is this issue that provinces' equitable share is crafted into a provincial budget in the form of an appropriation. Adversely, there are a number of co-ordinator structures established at the national level to facilitate the alignment of national budget to achieve national priorities. Consequently, due to these different priorities, the budget does not achieve what it was intended for. We need to address this issue because delivery is compromised and the state does not know which one exactly is the priority when these two spheres of government are involved. We need that to get attention.
Jobs will be created. Let us support the Minister of Finance when he says that: "We have a shared responsibility to prevent corruption."
It is our duty as Members of Parliament to do our oversight and get accountability. The ANC supports the Division of Revenue Bill. [Time expired.] [Applause.]