Over P3m unused in MoE account

ISAIAH MOREWAGAE | Thursday March 21, 2013 00:00

When answering a question from Kanye North Member of Parliament Kentse Rammidi, the minister said she was not aware that teachers in junior secondary schools are forced to reduce the number of projects students undertake. 'What I am aware of is that during the 2012/2013 fiscal year, my ministry allocated an amount of P21,277,013 to junior schools for practical subjects. This allocation is to allow for the purchase of student material for their projects,' Moitoi stated. She added that to date, schools have used just over P18 million and over P3 million still remains in the account.

Rammidi had asked the minister if he was aware that junior secondary schools were not allocated enough funds to allow them to buy material for students' projects in practical subjects and that as a result teachers are forced to reduce the number of projects students undertake, if so, does this not affect learning.

CTO still without GMThe Minister of Transport and Communication has told parliament that the post of Deputy General Manager at Central Transport Organisation (CTO) was filled through the promotion of one of the officers within the organisation. The Minister reasoned that at the time they had identified an officer to fill the post while they are yet to find a suitable candidate for the post of General Manager in spite of the post having been advertised on two occasions.

The minister was answering a question from Member of Parliament for Palapye Master Goya who wanted to find out if it is true that the post of Deputy General Manager at CTO was filled before that of General Manager, if so, why: and to state progress made to fill the vacant post of the CTO General Manager.

Youth programmesTwo different youth economic empowerment programmes have been implemented in the past 10 years. The Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture told parliament that these include the Out-of-School Youth Grant that was introduced in the 2001/2002 until 2008/2009. Minister Shaw Kgathi said the current Youth Development Fund was introduced in the financial year 2009/2010 and a total of 4425 projects have been funded under two programmes to the tune of P319 million.

He added that out of the funded projects, 1,508 were funded under the Out-of-School Youth Grant at a total expenditure of over P55 million. Kgathi stated that the breakdown per sector is 566 in the agricultural sector amounting to P22 million; 177 in manufacturing amounting to P6 million: 764 in service amounting to P27 million and one in tourism amounting to P46,000. The minister added that 2,917 projects were funded under the Youth Development Fund at a total cost of P264 million. He added that breakdown per sector is 1,797 in Agricultural sector amounting to P163 million; 334 in the manufacturing amounting to P30 million; in services amounting to P69 million and 22 in tourism amounting to P2 million.

Acute water shortage in MafhikanaThe Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Peter Siele said he was aware that there is no water in the staff toilets at the Mafhikana Primary School in Kanye. The minister said the development has greatly inconvenienced teachers at the school. The minister said the problem is as a result of the unreliable water supply and low water pressures in Kanye, particularly in wards such as Mafhikana, which are at higher elevation than the rest of the village.

The minister added that Mafhikana Primary School receives water bowsed to the school by Water Utilities Corporation and they store it in a 5000-litre water tank, which is primarily used to supply water to the kitchen for cooking and drinking. However, the minister says, the ministry through Southern District Council will purchase a booster pump for installation on this tank and make a connection to supply water to both the teachers and students toilets. He added that the solution would be a temporary measure to reinstate use of the teachers' toilets by the end of this month.