Govt urged to increase education funding to N$20bn
Kenya Kambowe
Rundu
Despite government’s financial woes, the National African Students Association (NASA) recommends that it increase the education ministry’s budget from the current N$14 billion to N$20 billion in order to transform the education sector, which is currently ‘in crisis’.This statement comes just days after the ministry released the Namibia Senior Secondary Certificate Ordinary (NSSCO) level results, which saw a mere 5 812 learners - out of a total of 38 019 – managing to qualify to register at tertiary institutions.
There have been repeated calls for education minister Anna Nghipondoka to resign from her position following the poor performance. However, at a media briefing on Friday in Rundu, NASA president Paulus Vihemba said the blame game won’t solve the mess the education fraternity finds itself in. Amongst many recommendations, he argued that part of the problem is a lack of resources for schools as well as the lack of teachers, despite evidence that thousands of teaching graduates are “roaming the streets” due to a lack of job opportunities.
Performance
“We are calling on government to prioritise the funding of education by increasing the basic education budget from N$ 14.1 billion to at least N$20 billion to effectively run education. This would mean that materials will be made available to allow effective teaching and learning,” Vihemba said.
NASA also recommended that positions in schools - such as that of principal and head of department - should be contract-based, and renewed based on performance.
“We are recommending that management should be appointed on five-year contracts just like at higher learning institutions, and re-contracting should only be done based on the satisfaction of the set performance indicators,” he said.
[email protected]
Rundu
Despite government’s financial woes, the National African Students Association (NASA) recommends that it increase the education ministry’s budget from the current N$14 billion to N$20 billion in order to transform the education sector, which is currently ‘in crisis’.This statement comes just days after the ministry released the Namibia Senior Secondary Certificate Ordinary (NSSCO) level results, which saw a mere 5 812 learners - out of a total of 38 019 – managing to qualify to register at tertiary institutions.
There have been repeated calls for education minister Anna Nghipondoka to resign from her position following the poor performance. However, at a media briefing on Friday in Rundu, NASA president Paulus Vihemba said the blame game won’t solve the mess the education fraternity finds itself in. Amongst many recommendations, he argued that part of the problem is a lack of resources for schools as well as the lack of teachers, despite evidence that thousands of teaching graduates are “roaming the streets” due to a lack of job opportunities.
Performance
“We are calling on government to prioritise the funding of education by increasing the basic education budget from N$ 14.1 billion to at least N$20 billion to effectively run education. This would mean that materials will be made available to allow effective teaching and learning,” Vihemba said.
NASA also recommended that positions in schools - such as that of principal and head of department - should be contract-based, and renewed based on performance.
“We are recommending that management should be appointed on five-year contracts just like at higher learning institutions, and re-contracting should only be done based on the satisfaction of the set performance indicators,” he said.
[email protected]
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