School funding must be fair
The right to education enjoys extensive protection in the Namibian Constitution under Article 20. It states that primary education shall be compulsory and the state shall provide reasonable facilities to render effective this right for every resident within Namibia, by establishing and maintaining state schools at which primary education will be provided free of charge. In 2013, government took full responsibility to finance primary education, which included paying for textbooks and other learning materials, stationery, payment of teacher salaries and the provision of additional classrooms and furniture. In 2014, government also endorsed a proposal to run secondary education on the same approach, leading to the abolishment of compulsory parental contributions to the school development fund in 2016. Before the introduction of 'free primary education' in 2013, we had instances were some children were automatically expelled from schools for not paying the school development fees. In fact, the school development fund, which was established by the Education of Act of 2001, was itself a violation of the constitution. Now that the issue is now back in the spotlight following mixed sentiments expressed at the recently held Swapo Central Committee meeting, there are fears that re-introducing compulsory school development fund payments would disadvantage the poor learners who simply can't afford such contributions. Government is clearly struggling to expand fiscal space to promote socio-economic development across the country and it has realised that free primary education is sustainable given the huge challenges within the system. As much as the authorities don't want to acknowledge this, education has been suffering in silence in this country and it is evident from the many incomplete projects. Inadequate quality facilities and resources, and low transition and retention rates, are among the prevailing challenges facing the education sector. We believe that schools need parents who will take responsibility for the education of their children and who are willing to contribute the little they have. However, there must an equitable funding plan in place across the board to help lessen the burden on government, while the plight of poor learners, who are unable to afford education, should also be considered and addressed. The Namibian child belongs in the classroom and the access to quality education cannot be overemphasised.
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Namibian Sun
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