Social security interventions improve educational outcomes
Following the announcement by the Minister of Finance, Mr Pravin Gordhan during the tabling of the National Budget on February 24 that social security benefits for children will increase, the Minister for Social Development, Ms Bathabile Dlamini, has highlighted the important role played by social security interventions in, not only keeping children in school, but contributing to positive educational outcomes for children who are beneficiaries of social grants.
New information from the department shows that of all the learners who passed their 2015 matric exams, 67% were grant beneficiaries. Of these, 31% received a bachelor’s pass, 43% achieved a diploma pass, while 27% obtained higher education certificate passes.
“Our view, as supported by various research, is that early investment in our children through social grants generates a positive developmental impact by promoting nutritional, educational and health outcomes. This impact multiplies its benefits in terms of directly reducing poverty and vulnerability and will, in the long run, break many poor families out of the cycle of poverty,” said Minister Dlamini.
Minister Gordhan has announced that government’s investment in children in the form of the child support grant and foster care grant would increase by R20 to R350 and by R30 to R890 per month, respectively, as of 1 April 2016. Minister Gordhan has also allocated R813 million towards early childhood development services.
The department has already reported that its Isibindi Model - an initiative that deploys trained community-based child and youth care workers in communities in an innovative team outreach programme providing care, protection and developmental support to vulnerable children and families – supported 2 802 young grant beneficiaries from child- and youth-headed households through matric examinations in 2015 (up from 1 700 in 2014 and 550 in 2013), of whom 66% of were successful.
The department has further tracked the Isibindi Model 2015 matriculants in terms of acceptance at Higher/Further Education institutions of learning as well as receipt of financial assistance for studies. Seven hundred and thirty nine (739) of them have been accepted into Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges and universities. Of these, 61 have received bursaries or funding from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).
Currents estimates of the number of social security beneficiaries who have started Grade 1 in 2016 stand at 696 954. The progress of these learners will be tracked throughout their school careers. Social security beneficiaries enrolled for Grade in 2016 stand at 459 607.
Minister Dlamini says the department is continuously working on gathering further information on the progress of children who are grant beneficiaries in order to inform ongoing policy making on social security.
“What we have seen so far is that our social security programme has played a most important role in improving the well-being of those with little means, especially children. Early life receipt of the child support grant increases the likelihood that a child’s development is enhanced. For us, this is an investment in human capabilities, which is a critical determinant of multi-dimensional poverty reduction,” concluded Minister Dlamini.
Government is in the process of finalising proposals for the creation of a comprehensive social security system to eradicate poverty and provide income protection for everyone living in South Africa. Some of these proposals include the extension of the eligibility age for the child support grant to age 21, from the current 18, for those children still attending school.
Enquiries:
Lumka Oliphant
Cell: 083 484 8067
Email: lumkao@dsd.gov.za
