Basic Education Requests Additional P240M
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Monday September 21, 2020 16:39
According to a report by Parliamentary Committee on Finance and Estimates report, this is due to an increase in classrooms associated with health protocols required to maintain adherence to the coronavirus (COVID-19) guidelines and standards.
“The committee views this class arrangement as the most desirable and proposes that it be retained as the new class standard in Botswana,” the report reads.
“An additional amount of P240 million is requested to cater for the engagement of temporary teachers. The exercise is meant to facilitate compliance to mandatory COVID-19 protocols.”
The report added the associated protocols have increased the number of classes across the country and the request compels the Committee of Finance and Estimates to assist in remuneration of temporary teachers.
Regarding the Health Services Management, the committee approved P1 billion as COVID-19 relief to procure critical items such as personal protective equipment for frontline staff, laboratory commodities and other equipment to be used at ports of entry and isolation centres.
“Health officials inform us that we are still to reach the anticipated peak and the number of cases is exponentially increasing, therefore we need to be equipped to reach the right appropriate readiness with the right personal protective equipment (PPE),” it said.
“With the number of months remaining before the financial year comes to an end, the committee is not well convinced that the ministry will be able to utilise the funds, considering the challenges associated with government procurement processes and implementation as well as capacity challenges.”
The committee said it recognised the need to always maintain a state of preparedness.
It observed that the COVID-19 era has brought about unprecedented circumstances and that this is the very basis of the supplementary budget request under discussion.
“If it were not for COVID-19, the bulk of the projects would have been worthy of consideration under normal budget processes and cycles. The committee observes with concern requests made by ministries that do not meet the criteria for supplementary requests.
Standing order 106.2 (a) gives the committee the duty to examine whether funds are properly allocated within the limits of the policy implied in the estimates,” the report reads