Thank you very much, hon Chairperson. The Minister of Basic Education is aware of the challenge that beset the provision of learner transport in the Eastern Cape, including insufficient funding to provide the service to all learners.
In order to ensure that an efficient service is provided, the learner transport function was transferred to the provincial department of transport in April 2011, to enable the Eastern Cape department of basic education to concentrate on its core function. The department is now responsible only for the identification of beneficiaries and the monitoring of the function.
An amount of R210 million has been allocated for learner transport in the 2012-13 financial year in the Eastern Cape. It has become clear, however, that the budget is not sufficient to cover all the needs identified and efforts are being made, together with the province, to find a solution. I said "together with the province", given the reality that there is section 100(1)(b) of the Constitution of the RSA, Act No 108 of 1996, titled "National intervention in provincial administration".
With regard to the second part of the question, a plan to provide learner transport for the financial year 2012-13 in the Eastern Cape is indeed in place and is being implemented, together with the provincial department of transport. In total, 54 406 learners in 644 schools are being provided with learner transport.
I might also mention in addition, hon Chair, that part of the task of the Deputy Ministers who are overseeing this process is to pay particular attention to monitoring, assessing and evaluating the transportation that is being provided. So, we will deal, amongst other things, with issues of accruals, as well as the efficiency of the transportation system. Thank you so much.