Education Budget Remains Intact Says Patrick Faber

Patrick Faber

The fiscal allowance for education is the second largest area for recurrent expenditure for government, after the Ministry of Finance.  Given the dire state of the local economy amid the coronavirus crisis, it is expected that budgets for all government ministries will be cut.  Education, however, remains a key priority and, according to Minister Faber, the only other ministry that will perhaps receive that kind of priority spending is health.

Patrick Faber, Minister of Education

“Insofar as, I think, the government is unable to avoid spending on education, the budget is intact, but when it comes down to everything that can be deemed, I don’t want to call it a luxury, but you were asking just now about study leave.  When we send a teacher on study leave, we have to pay a replacement, so that teacher can delay the studies while we are in the crunch, that would be something that can help.  And insofar as the intention is there on the part of the wider government to provide the monies that we need for the expenditure side, the intention is there but the monies aren’t rolling in.  We would have to face the new reality just like every other ministry, and so I am confident in saying that once I sit with my colleagues that education, as it has always been the case with, will be given serious priority.  I think that that has to mean that the only other ministry that will probably get priority given the kind of situation that we’re in is of course the Ministry of Health.”