The introduction of the universal primary and secondary education grants did not oust the moral obligation and responsibilities of parents or guardians towards their children attending school, Education Minister Anna Nghipondoka has said.

Nghipondoka made these remarks in Parliament on Tuesday while responding to concerns raised by parents after they were required to pay school fees and buy stationery for their children when schools re-opened for the 2022 academic year.

She said parents and guardians are still at liberty to contribute towards the maintenance and improvement of their children’s schools, but it should be done voluntarily by those who can afford to do so. She added that children should not be sent home because their parents did not contribute.

“I want to remind our principals that it is a policy of the government of Namibia to offer free education to all Namibian children. Efforts to get contributions from parents should be done in such a way that no Namibian child is excluded due to parental inability to make a contribution. Inhumane and embarrassing treatment of parents and learners is condemned by the ministry,” said Nghipondoka.

She added that for the 2021/22 financial year, N.dollars 200 was allocated per pre-primary and primary school learner, while N.dollars 300 has been allocated per secondary school learner, amounting to N.dollars 152 366 772.

These grants are primarily used for enriching curriculum implementation, while other needs at schools such as cleaning materials, school health and safety, maintenance, school fencing and similar projects may also be funded.

“In addition to school grant funding, the ministry also disburses funds to schools for procurement of stationery. In the 2021/22 financial year, N.dollars 51 339 383 was made available to regions for procurement of stationery. These funds made provision of N.dollars 100 for every pre-primary and primary learner and N.dollars 150 for every secondary school learner, and the ministry has maintained that allocation per learner over the years,” stated Nghipondoka.

She further added that the government avails funds to ensure free access to education for all Namibian learners, but the reality is that the allocated money is not enough to cater for all the needs as planned.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency