Presenting his 2009/10 Budget in the National Assembly on Wednesday, Finance Minister Trevor Manuel outlined a number of key priorities in education, which he said remains the government's single largest investment, "because we know it is the key to reducing poverty and accelerating long-term economic growth".

Education spending has risen by 14 percent a year during the past three years and is expected to continue rising at 10 percent a year for the next three.

His key priorities include "extending the no-fee schools policy to 60 percent of schools, from 40 percent at present, expanding the school nutrition programme, reducing average class sizes in schools serving lower income communities, increasing expenditure on school buildings, strengthening teacher training programmes and recapitalising technical high schools over the next three years."

More money for higher education

An additional R700-million is allocated for higher education subsidies and to accommodate the anticipated growth in student enrolment from 783 900 last year to 836 800 in 2011.

The national student financial aid scheme receives an additional R330-million.

Funding is also provided for a new national education evaluation unit.

Manuel explained that the unit is urgently needed because of the new salary dispensation for teachers introduced last year, which is linked school and teacher performance.

The Budget also reduces the teacher:learner ratio in the poorest 20 percent of schools and ensures that public schools can cater for pupils with disabilities.

The infrastructure grant to provinces includes half a billion rand which is to ensure that classroom space is available for Grade R learners entering the system. Another billion rand is made available for schools to upgrade infrastructure to secure facilities, install libraries and laboratories and increase maintenance.

The school nutrition programme is allocated an additional R4-billion over the medium-term period to make sure that the poorest learners can be fed on all school days and to expand the programme to 3929 secondary schools.