An analysis of government’s funding to the country’s education sector by the Civil Society Education Coalition (Csec) exposed glaring gaps between what is passed in the national budget and what is finally dispersed and ultilised at the end of the year.
This was revealed on Thursday during a budget analysis engagement which Csec had with members of the Education Cluster of Parliament in Lilongwe.
Csec Executive Director said their tracking has revealed that, for primary education, only 64 percent of the resources budgeted for were dispersed by Treasury, out of which ultilisation rate is exceeding 88 percent.
Kondowe said the trend is the same for secondary and tertiary education.
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“The impression that is being made is that allocation of resources is one thing since the budget is just a mere aspiration. What is important is how much of what has been allocated in the national budget is finally disbursed.
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“So that’s why the focus of Csec, moving forward, will be on the ultilisation because it is not enough to celebrate the allocation in the national budget.
“What is important is how much has been disbursed and ultilised to make a difference that we would want to see,” Kondowe said.
In the national budget, Finance Minister Simplex Chithyola Banda has allocated about K900 billion to education.
Chithyola Banda said the government, through the Ministry of Education, will continue to provide quality, relevant, and equitable education to the people of Malawi.
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He observed that the government will continue investing in the education sector through implementation of various projects including construction of 34 secondary schools of excellence with an allocation of K10 billion.
Other projects include the Gwanda Chakwamba Centre of Education Excellence with an allocation of K500 million; construction of Luranga Secondary School; implementation of the Malawi Education Reform Project with an allocation of K85 billion, the Skills for a Vibrant Economy with an allocation of K48.91 billion and the Equity with Quality and Learning at Secondary with an allocation of K37.98 billion.
Deputy Chairperson of the Education Cluster Ephraim Nayeja bemoaned the high number of projects that have been abandoned by contractors in the education sector.
Nayeja said it is worrying to note that some of the projects have stalled for as long as seven years.
According to Nayeja, Parliament needs to intensify its monitoring role to ensure that whatever is allocated in the national budget is disbursed.
The budget analysis by Csec has also recommended that the development budget in the education sector be devolved to address issues of stagnation and abandonment of projects.
It has also called for coordination in key programmes such as bursaries to avoid duplication, which end up benefiting the same people.
