Thank you very much, hon Deputy Chairperson. The hon Minister of Health has indicated to me that if I am not lucid in my answers he will understand, because it is the fumes that have caused it!
May I thank the hon Chair, as well as the hon Ministers, for allowing me to deal with the matters of education as a priority, given the fact that we have a Council of Education Ministers meeting that has already commenced and which I was chairing. So, I really appreciate the indulgence on the part of the hon Ministers and ask for forgiveness for any inconvenience caused. In that spirit I will try to deal with the matters as swiftly as I can.
Hon Chairperson, with regard to the question asked by the hon member from the ANC in Gauteng, the answer is as follows: Circuit 2 comprises 22 primary schools, four high schools, one school of skills and one special school.
We are informed that the four high schools are situated in Atlantis. Of the 22 primary schools, 12 are situated in the Atlantis area, while 10 primary schools are in the Durbanville rural area. Four of the primary schools in Atlantis accommodate Grade 8 learners as well. To date the district has received no complaints regarding the enrolment of Grade 8 learners in Atlantis.
The provincial department has indicated that it has plans to build 25 new schools, but none in Atlantis, because the four high schools in the area can still accommodate all the learners. The province has a dedicated official in each district who monitors demand and takes appropriate steps to accommodate any increase in demand. The official reports directly to the district directors, who in turn supply the information to the provincial team responsible for planning and infrastructure provisioning.
Hon Chair, I just want the hon House to also note that these are questions pertaining to the province of the Western Cape, and they would be better dealt with in that legislature, particularly with regard to follow-up questions. We rely on the information provided to us by the MEC or the Western Cape department of education. Thank you.
Provision of financial management support, including monitoring, to provincial departments of education, and details regarding provincial departments' usage of budgets
29. Ms D Z Rantho (ANC) asked the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) Whether her department provides any financial management support to provincial departments of education in order to assist with strengthening their (a) financial management, (b) control systems and (c) capacity; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, (i) how often are they provided with financial management support and (ii) how many provinces make use of such support;
(2) whether such support includes monitoring; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
(3) whether provincial departments use their budgets for their intended purposes; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? CO208E