14 Aug 2017

 The ministry of Basic Education is aware that a company named Harvest Investments of Dukwi has been awarded numerous tenders to supply food rations in junior secondary schools in the Nata/Gweta and Nkange constituencies.

Answering a question in parliament on Friday, the Assistant Minister of Basic Education Mr Moiseraele Goya said he had been made aware that there were businesses which were youth-owned and could have been empowered.

The method of procurement used in the Open Domestic Bidding in which all businesses inclusive of youth-owned companies are eligible to participate, he stated.

Mr Goya also noted that the local empowerment initiative was included in the tender process.

“Our institutions have a 20 per cent quota reserved for the local procurement scheme. Also, a price preference scheme of up to 15 per cent cumulative in favour of, the ownership control and employment of, the target groups was granted within these tenders,” he explained.

Nata/Gweta MP Mr Polson Majaga had asked if the minister is aware that a company named Harvest Investments in Dukwi has been awarded 12 tenders to supply food rations in junior secondary schools in the Nata/Gweta and Nkange constituencies.

Mr Majaga asked if the minister is aware that there are many businesses which are mostly youth owned and funded that could have been empowered.

He wanted to also know the criteria used to award 12 tenders to one company and where the initiative of local empowerment works in the villages of the two constituencies.

Still in parliament, Mr Goya said in 2015 the national average expenditure per student per year was P1 100 in the allocation of funds for feeding per student.

He said in 2016 it stood at P1 411 and in 2017 at P1 851 per student per year respectively.

He said the funds disbursed for boot camps in 18 junior and senior secondary schools in Central region for the past two years was P3.5 million in 2015 and P3.8 million in 2016.

He said his ministry was yet to disburse funds for the 2017, explaining however that all schools have successfully held boot camps for 2015 and 2016.

Mr Goya pointed out that the requested budget for all Central region schools for boot camps was P13.7 million and that schools were given P4.6 million which he said is a 66 per cent shortfall in 2016.

He said the schools are expected to operate within the budget provided and as such some of the activities in the boot camps will have been forfeited.

He added that schools also have PTAs which are expected to assist along with other stakeholders to supplement what government provides.

MP Sethomo Lelatisitswe of Boteti East had asked the minister to apprise parliament on the disbursement of funds within the Central region’s boarding senior secondary schools as well as Boteti Junior Secondary School in the past three years.

He had asked the minister to state the budget for meals per student in each school as well as the enrolment per school.

Mr Lelatisitswe wanted to know the amount of money disbursed for boot camps in the region’ schools and if the boot camps were indeed held.

He also wanted to know the percentage of schools’ demands that the Central region’s disbursement covers and the strategy used to address shortfalls, if any.ENDS