Question no. 1067
Dr JC Kloppers-Lourens (Democratic Alliance) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
Whether transport has been provided for learners in each specified province in each of the three most recent financial years; if not, why not; if so, (a) what was the total budget allocated for transport, (b) which transport providers were awarded tenders to provide transport, (c) what was the value of each of the tenders, (d) how many learners were provided with transport in terms of each of these tenders and (e) what criteria do learners need to comply with in order to qualify for transport?
Reply:
a. Yes, learner transport has been provided to the specified provinces and the budget allocated in the three financial years is as indicated in the table below:
Provincial Education Department scholar transport
* Eastern Cape
Current
2007/08: 257 732
2008 medium term expenditure framework (MTEF)
2008/09: 250 000
2009/10: 231 000
2010/11: 622 033
Free State
Current
2007/08: 37 500
2008 medium term expenditure framework (MTEF)
2008/09: 40 800
2009/10: 44 800
2010/11: 0
* Gauteng
Current
2007/08: 46 165
2008 medium term expenditure framework (MTEF)
2008/09: 34 080
2009/10: 91 307
2010/11: 37 754
* KwaZulu-Natal
Current
2007/08: 0
2008 medium term expenditure framework (MTEF)
2008/09: 49 000
2009/10: 87 000
2010/11: 139 940
* Limpopo
Current
2007/08: 44 000
2008 medium term expenditure framework (MTEF)
2008/09: 44 500
2009/10: 44 500
2010/11: 48 401
* Mpumalanga
Current
2007/08: 145 269
2008 medium term expenditure framework (MTEF)
2008/09: 157 670
2009/10: 164 618
2010/11: 185 380
* Northern Cape
Current
2007/08: 52 051
2008 medium term expenditure framework (MTEF)
2008/09: 61 915
2009/10: 74 316
2010/11: 91 110
* North West
Current
2007/08: 0
2008 medium term expenditure framework (MTEF)
2008/09: 68 445
2009/10: 75 000
2010/11: 80 000
* western Cape
Current
2007/08: 100 241
2008 medium term expenditure framework (MTEF)
2008/09: 105 523
2009/10: 112 439
2010/11: 140 629
* Total
Current
2007/08: 682 958
2008 medium term expenditure framework (MTEF)
2008/09: 811 663
2009/10: 925 080
2010/11: 1 345 247
Where no amounts are reflected, the figures are not available.
(b) Procurement is a provincial competence and as a result the Department of Education does not have this information on hand.
(c) See (b) above
(d) See (b) above
(e) Each province determines its own criteria as to who qualifies for transport. In terms of the national norms and standards for school funding, poor learners should be provided with hostel facilities if they live more than one and half hours' walking distance from the nearest available school, and therefore each province determines its own criteria as to who qualifies for transport if the travelling distance to their nearest available school is less than one and half hours walking distance.
Issued by: Department of Basic Education
4 September 2009
Source: Department of Education (http://www.education.gov.za/)
