The Gauteng MEC for Education, Panyaza Lesufi, says his department’s budget of R32.8-billion will be dedicated to building a non-racial education system, where all learners have access to quality education.

Delivering his department’s Budget Vote for 2014/15, Lesufi said: “Our programmes in this term will be guided by the objectives and goals as articulated in the National Development Plan and Schooling 2030. We will also consolidate the existing improvement programmes,” he said.

The largest allocations in the budget are for salaries at FET colleges and the National School Nutrition Programmes, with smaller grants for HIV and Aids interventions, Dinaledi Schools and Technical High Schools.

Seventy-five percent of the budget will be spent on the salaries of teachers and officials of the department.

The remaining 25% will be used to meet infrastructure, learner teaching material and school subsidy demands.

“We will focus on modernising public education and building an education system that can compete internationally, especially in maths, science and technology, and continue to support the development of the province.

“It is within this context that we have now taken a decision to ensure that 80% of our children in Gauteng should do pure mathematics by 2019,” Lesufi said.

To sustain the improved Grade 12 performance of the province, Lesufi said his department has extended the Secondary School Intervention Programme (SSIP) to reach all secondary school learners.

“This is to ensure that whatever knowledge gaps learners have are sufficiently arrested by the time the learner sits for the final matric examinations. The department aims to support Grade 12 learners through Saturday school sessions, holiday sessions and exam camps,” he said.

The Saturday and holiday sessions have already started and holiday camps are scheduled to take place later this year in preparation for the final examinations.

Already, the Department has implemented a total of 16 Maths, Science and Technology programmes through the SciBono Discovery Centre, to improve the performance of learners in these subjects.