Executive Director (ED) in the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture Sanet Steenkamp has requested that all schools submit their development fund bank account reports, following an outcry by the public of increased reliance on parents to provide stationery.

In a letter dated 03 January 2022 and seen by Nampa, Steenkamp stressed that the current outcry by the public regarding the increased reliance of schools on parents to provide stationery is worrisome, especially more so, while schools received universal primary and secondary grants.

Steenkamp in the letter addressed to all regional directors of education, requested that the reports be submitted no later than 12 January 2022, and should highlight the balance in each school and hostel development fund bank accounts per region with a clear indication of other sources of funding apart from the annual grant paid by the State.

According to the ED, 81 per cent of the primary and secondary grant has been disbursed to schools nationally on 30 November 2021.

“There is a need for an assessment of balances in school and hostel development fund accounts to ascertain available balance for possible procurement of stationery at school level,” she noted.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency