03/01/2022
TREASURY RELEASES K1.284 BILLION FOR FARMERS AND PUBLIC SCHOOLS (FREE EDUCATION POLICY)
The Treasury has today released K1.284 billion of which K960 million is for outstanding payments to farmers under the 2020/2021 farming season, and K324 million is the 2022 first quarter operational support fund for public schools aimed at facilitating the implementation of free education for all learners at early childhood, primary, and secondary education levels.
As Treasury, we can confidently say, with the release of the latter (K324 million), concrete steps towards free education - aimed at abolishing tuition, Parent Teachers Association, and examination fees that learners used to pay in public schools, are now in motion.
To reiterate the announcement by the Minister of Finance and National Planning during the presentation of the 2022 National Budget, the fees charged at public early childhood and secondary schools for a child to be allowed to attend class have been done away with (Free educational services are already provided for learners at primary school level). To this end, grants from the Government to public schools have been increased to meet the operational costs that were previously financed by the abolished fees. The funds will be paid directly to the bank account of each individual school, country-wide, to ensure that proper operational arrangements are made before the opening of schools for the first term of 2022.
Bursaries for vulnerable leaners; to be allocated through the Constituency Development Fund, will also be released as soon as the guidelines are completed and approved by relevant authorities.
We take this opportunity to state that the Treasury has also commenced capacity building programmes on public resource management. The first target are the teaching staff, country-wide, who are being oriented on the handling of the operational support fund for public schools, to ensure that there is prudence in the management of the increased resources.
Concerning the funds for farmers, we urge the institution in charge to ensure that a fair and transparent payment system is deployed so that the hardships experienced by our farmers due to delayed payments, are not prolonged. With the release of the K960 million, outstanding payments to farmers for the 2020/2021 season have now reduced by 59% from K1.63 billion to K670 million. Our target is to dismantle the whole outstanding amount as soon as possible.
(File Copy Signed)
Issued By:
Felix Nkulukusa
SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY
MINISTRY OF FINANCE AND NATIONAL PLANNING
ADDITIONAL NOTES ON EDUCATION
For avoidance of doubt, the fees charged at public early childhood and secondary schools for a child to be allowed to attend class have been done away with. Free educational services are already provided for learners at primary school level. To this end, grants from the Government to public schools have been increased to meet the operational costs that were previously financed by the abolished fees.
Regarding boarding fees for secondary school learners, a bursary scheme will be introduced for vulnerable learners. The beneficiaries will be identified at the community level, through the Constituency Development Fund Programme.
To ensure that the girl child has equitable opportunities to quality education as a boy child, Government will address challenges that the girl child faces such as walking long distances to school, early marriages, menstrual hygiene, and unwanted pregnancies. In this regard, the Government in 2022, will expand support to the girl child through the Keeping Girls in School Programme from 28,964 in 2021to 43,520 girls, this year.
To increase access to education, improve the quality of education provision while promoting equal opportunities for girls, learners with disabilities and the vulnerable, a total of K18.1 billion has been budgeted for the education sector, in 2022. Of this amount, K1.7 billion is for the recruitment of 30,000 teachers and K2.2 billion is for general operations of schools across the country. Further, K694.3 million has been budgeted for the construction and completion of ongoing school infrastructure.
Source: Ministry of finance and National Planning page
