Staff Reporter
THE Minister of Education, Arts and Culture Anna Nghipondoka has said that a total of N$ 189 million has been allocated for school grants for the 2023/24 financial year.
Since Independence in 1990, the Namibian Government has funded public education, while parents complemented government resources through the School Development Fund (SDF) up to 2013 for primary education and up to 2016 for secondary education.
In 2013 and 2016, respectively, the Government assumed full responsibility for funding primary and secondary education by introducing Universal Primary Education (UPE) and Universal Secondary Education (USE).
These grants are used to address the basic education curriculum attainment, the individual learner, and the school needs, as well as general school administration.
Nghipondoka, however, expressed concern about the use of school grants. “What we have noticed is that many schools do not operate on an academic cycle when executing their budgets to have funds available at the beginning of the academic year. That is why many schools face challenges at the start of the academic year because their funds have been depleted before the end of the financial year, which usually ends at the end of March each year. Budget execution should encompass internal efficiency and get more done with the available resources. Emphasis should be on prioritisation and should also be in the best interest of the learners so that learning can be meaningful and rewarding,” Nghipondoka said.
She added that the ministry has also added, with great concern, that some schools do not provide financial accountability reports to parents but instead choose to continue demanding contributions from parents without reports on what the government gave and how it was used, and what shortages exist where parents might be required to contribute for those who can.
“We should all be accountable in our work and solicit parental intervention after we have made parents understand how we have spent the funds allocated to our schools by the government. Parental contribution/support is still very much needed, but it should be in consultation with the parents to meet the government halfway,” Nghipondoka said.
She further reminded parents that it is illegal for any school to send away a child due to financial shortcomings of not contributing to school funds required and called on parents to report any such issues.
Leave a Reply