The South African province of KwaZulu-Natal, located on the south-eastern coast of the country, has decided to spend the majority of their government funding on health and education.
According to the latest budget reports, the two departments will allocate more than seventy-six percent (76%) of the budget allowance for the whole province to these two departments. This amounts to nearly one hundred billion South African rands (R98.8bn).
In a recent speech, local MEC Ravi Pillay explained that forty-one percent (41%) of the whole budget would go towards education, while another thirty-five percent (35%) will be explicitly allocated for developing the health system.
Health and education budgeting
According to the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Treasury budget report, the reason to dedicate this significant portion of all funding to health and education aims to boost these departments in the fastest way possible.
The main reason behind this decision was the fact that both these sectors are massively understaffed. This is why the majority of these funds will go towards finding and attracting new personnel for the two departments.
When it comes to education, Mr. Pillay explained that the province needs a significant revolutionization of the system. To this, the Department of Education has decided to close small primary schools (with less than fifty students), and divert the funding these institutions have been receiving to larger schools.
A portion of the budget will also go towards modernizing classrooms and improving school facilities. This will happen through the purchase of modern technology like tablets and smart boards for classes, and an upgrade of already existing sports and recreational infrastructure in schools.
This decision comes in a moment when UNESCO and the World Economic Forum are adamantly expressing concerns regarding the global development of education.
