Ahead of finance minister Enoch Godongwana's midterm budget speech today, organisations in the education and social sector are calling on the minister to prioritise human rights.
Equal Education said a budget that speaks to bridging the inequalities between the so-called “model C” schools and rural/township schools would go a long way.
Researcher for the organisation, Jane Morman, said they want a budget that is intentional in undoing the apartheid legacy that has left some school disadvantaged.
“Essentially, you have two schooling systems in the country. The small schooling system that services the wealthy. You also have one that caters for the less advantaged as a result of the apartheid spatial planning. These two systems are still largely divided along racial lines with schools in the rural areas or townships still facing problems with shortage of resources and poor infrastructure.
“...how we can make targeted effort towards infrastructure to catch up on the fact there are still pit latrines and basic water [problems]. To look at overcrowding, lack of resources as well infrastructure improvement. How can we see funding that specifically looks at and targets these areas to try and really make a dent in what is sadly still a very huge issue.”
Morman said while the department of education receives a huge percentage of the budget, the money allocated doesn’t match the scale of inequality in schools. “We still have problems with overcrowding at schools, shortage of textbooks, issues with water and sanitation. At the very least, we need our schools to get the basics of their basic human rights catered for.”
Human rights movement Black Sash said the social relief of distress grant meant to provide relief during the Covid-19 pandemic, should be made permanent.
“The introduction of the grant was an acknowledgment that there was a gap and so it’s crucial that there is an extension of this grant because it was a stop and go since 2020 where it was introduced for a short period of time and was extended on an ad hoc basis until March 2023,” said the organisation's Hoodah Fayker.
“We are looking forward to seeing whether this grant will become permanent, but also more importantly as an immediate response is to address the shortcomings of the access to this grant.”
Fayker said there have been issues with access to the grant due to administrative glitches such as outdated data base, preventing people who need it from getting it. “So we are looking at what the minister is going to say in terms of this grant and also how other grant beneficiaries are going to be given a further lifeline.
“The increases in the grants is below inflation rate and considering the rising cost of living that we’ve seen. Most of the grants are spent on food, but the second most important expense is electricity and so this is really a crises that needs to be addressed.”
While the question is always whether the country can afford any of the needs by various sectors, Fayker said good financial governance such as reducing fruitless and wasteful expenditure would go a long way in directing funds where they are needed the most.
sibiyan@sowetan.co.za
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