21 Feb 2017

There has not been a decline in government sponsorship of tertiary education, says the Assistant Minister of Tertiary Education, Research, Science and Technology, Mr Fidelis Molao.

“On the contrary, budget allocation for tertiary education financing has grown over the years from P1.7 billion in 2013/14 financial year, to P2.1 billion in the 2016/17 financial year,” he said.

Answering a question in Parliament on Monday, Mr Molao said for the financial year 2017/18, the ministry would be requesting for P2.3 billion, signifying a further increase in the budget allocation for tertiary education financing.

Mr Molao further said the number of new students sponsored varies on annual basis depending on both the budget and students’ performance.

However, he said the number had dropped from 15 257 in 2013/14 financial year to 8 630 in 2016/17 financial year.

“This difference was mainly due to the fact that the cut-off point for government sponsorship was reduced from 36 points in 2012/13 because students had not performed well.

The cut-off was taken back to 36 points in 2015/16,” he said.

The assistant minister told the House that his ministry was currently reviewing the current model of tertiary education financing with the  hope of concluding the review and consultation process during the first quarter of the coming financial year.

Member of Parliament for Francistown East, Mr Buti Billy had asked the minister why there had been a decline in government sponsorship of tertiary education.

He also wanted the minister to state other options that could sustain tertiary education funding. BOPA