Education gets largest chunk of budget

Baboki Kayawe | Tuesday February 7, 2017 15:56

 

The former has been allocated the largest amount of P6.80 billion or 17.2% of the total ministerial recurrent budget, while the latter got P4.25 billion or 10.7%, representing the fifth largest share.

Presenting the 2017/2018 budget yesterday, the Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Kenneth Matambo said the Basic Education ministry allocation was in line with the commitment made by Government to improve education through the implementation of the Education and Training Sector Strategic Plan (ETSSP).

The ETSSP is a five year strategy that aspires to refocus education and training towards fulfilment of a more diversified and knowledge-based economy, through strengthening the match between qualifications and labour market requirements, thereby ensuring that education outputs are more closely aligned to future employment needs.

The strategy covers both basic and tertiary education initiatives. The higher education allocation covers provision for student financing in both public and private tertiary institutions and subventions to parastatals under the Ministry, such as the University of Botswana, Botswana International University of Science and Technology, Botswana Accountancy College, Botswana College of Distance and Open Learning, and Botswana Institute of Technology, Research and Innovation.

Meanwhile, the second largest share amounting to P6.59 billion, constituting 16.6% of the total recurrent budget went to the Ministry of Health and Wellness.

“This will mainly cater for provision of; drugs, dressings, vaccines, anti-retroviral therapy, replacement of obsolete medical equipment, and the implementation of the Treat All Strategy for HIV/AIDS,” Matambo explained.

The third largest share of P5.62 billion, making up 14.2% would be channeled towards provision for Revenue Support Grants to urban and district Councils, maintenance of the existing infrastructure, provision for food supplies and the Old Age Pension Scheme under the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development.