“This infrastructure investment will have a positive impact on job creation and should contribute to the accommodation of new learners entering the schooling system,” explained the MEC before delivering the province’s budget for the year in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature.

According to Nkomfe, the Secondary School Improvement Programme - which provides Grades 10, 11 and 12 pupils with supplementary tuition in specific subjects - will receive R496.8 million over three years. Teachers will also benefit from this as they will get in-service training where poor performance is identified.

The parent/family support programme in underperforming primary and secondary schools will receive R128.6 million.

Over the 2012 Medium Term Expenditure Framework, R547.2 million is made available for the province’s scholar’s transport programme and R1.7 billion is set aside for the school nutrition programme.