Parking TFF infrastructure component with DSIP education infrastructure funding would take time

Tying the Tuition Fee Free (TFF) infrastructure component to the District Development Authorities education infrastructure funding component would take time to materialize, explains the Minister for Education Nick Kuman.
Minister Kuman said through the TFF policy Cabinet had endorsed that partnership arrangement decision in December 2015, and up until now, it is not been implemented as the mechanisms are not been finalized yet.

Mr Kuman said the partnership arrangement allows for 30% of TFF infrastructure component to be put into a trust account together with the 20% education infrastructure component of District Services Improvement Program (DSIP) manages by the DDA.
He said this arrangement will not take immediate effect until all arrangements with the Departments of Finance and Treasury are in place to establish the accounting mechanism in the districts.
“Through that partnership, the schools can nominate for a classroom or teacher house to build. The education sector infrastructure funding component held in a trust account in the district can then be used to build a good double classroom or a teacher house for nominated schools.
“We have not yet implemented that decision until the structures are put together and finalized and we will inform the country as to when it will happen.

“But I don’t anticipate this would happen quickly, it would take time,” he added.
He said the arrangement is to ensure some of those money used for infrastructure development must remain so that there must be overall visibility of the use of the money.
Mr Kuman also mentioned that the Department of Education is also putting the structure together to ensure that there will be an overseeing body at the provincial and district levels to monitor the use of this money.
“These things are now being worked out through the departments of Finance and Treasure to set the accounts in the districts but, as far as the disbursement of term one TFF is concern we have not held back those money.”
“My direction to the Department of Education is to pay everything which is supposed to be paid until those mechanisms is put in place then we channel the money for infrastructure component to the districts to partner with the DSIP."