PUBLIC HEARINGS ON
CONDITIONAL GRANTS AND CAPITAL EXPENDITURE
1.
OUTCOMES OF THE AUDITED QUARTER PROVINCIAL
BUDGET REPORT OF 2006/07 AND PLANS TO ADDRESS ANY SHORTCOMINGS
The performance outcomes of the
conditional grant is reflected in the regularised Monthly and Quarterly DoRA
Reports submitted to the National Department of Education and the Provincial
Treasury, as well as the WCED’s APP Quarterly Reports. Shortcomings are addressed within these
reports, as well as plans to address these shortcomings. Internal AG reports also address shortcomings
on a regularised basis.
2.
DATA ON TRENDS IN ALLOCATIONS, TRANSFERS
AND ACTUAL EXPENDITURE: HIV/AIDS CONDITIONAL GRANT
|
Financial year |
Allocation + Rollover R‘000 |
Actual ammnt
spent R‘000
|
Under / over expenditure R‘000
|
% Spent
% |
|
2002/03 |
11 218 + 5 258 |
15 991 |
485 |
97,1 |
|
2003/04 |
9 518
+ 485 |
10 723 |
-721 |
107,2 |
|
2004/05 |
10 543
- 721 |
9 814 |
7 |
99,9 |
|
2005/06 |
11 205 +
0 |
11 205 |
0 |
100,0 |
|
2006/07 |
11 870 +
0 |
11 872 |
-2 |
100,0 |
|
2007/08 |
13 011 +
0 |
5 315 |
As at mid-year |
40,9 |
|
2008/09 |
13 847 |
|
|
|
|
2009/10 |
14 626 |
|
|
|
Expenditure at mid-term is 40,9%. Whilst this is below initial projections,
there should be no cause for concern.
3.
BRIEF ASSESSMENT OF WCED’S MONITORING CAPACITY
It is anticipated that the Redesigned
WCED, with its Circuit Teams, will enable considerably improved matrix
management at the local (circuit) level.The WCED possesses the infra-structural capacity to
monitor expenditure.
4. MONTHLY REPORTS
Monthly DoRA and Quarterly DoRA and APP progress
reports are submitted to both the Western Cape Education Department and the
National Department of Education.
5.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
If this country (and this province) is to
reduce infection levels through Education and meet the target of a 50%
reduction in prevalence levels required of the National Strategic Plan for HIV
and AIDS, 2007 to 2011 (adopted by Parliament in March 2007), then a
substantially greater financial commitment has to be made.
Despite these constraints, the Western
Cape HIV/AIDS program has begun to show some impact. Two indicators warrant mention:
(i) The annual ante-natal survey over the past three years shows a reduction in teenage HIV infection rates -
from 8,7% in 2003 down to 7,2% in 2006 (less than half the national average
for this age group).
|
Year |
1996 |
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
|
% HIV prevalence 15-19 yrs |
2.3 |
3.1 |
2.6 |
4.7 |
4.9 |
6.3 |
7.3 |
8.7 |
8.1 |
7.9 |
7.2 |
Assuming 420 000 15-19 yr
olds in the Western Cape, a 1,5% reduction in HIV prevalence levels is hugely
significant (Roughly 6 300 fewer teenagers infected in 2006 than in 2004,
assuming the sample is representative of the age group). In economic terms alone
this represents a return-on-investment of several thousand percent on the
conditional grant investment (assuming Education is significantly responsible
for the reduction, and the reduction is sustained).
(ii)
Prof
Alan Flischer et al (UCT), in a study comparing selected risk behaviours of Gr
8s in 15-39 secondary schools in Cape Town (N
= 1 437 and 6 266 in 1997 and 2004 respectively) reported (in the
prestigious SA Medical Journal, Sept 2006) “a significant delay in first
intercourse in 2004 compared with 1997” with average age of delay of sexual debut being extended from approximately
16,5 to 17,5 years of age.