By Kae Matundu-Tjiparuro WINDHOEK The year 2006 was generally a good one for the Morukutu Primary School with it moving a step or two forward, says principal Zenobia Tjirongo. Among the few achievements of this rural school in the Epukiro constituency in the Omaheke Region, is the acquisition of a photocopier at about N$4 000 from own funds. This has made life for the school much easier, especially the paperwork related issue and for copying question-and-answer papers in preparing learners for tests. Yet the very same copier machine has also become a source of worry for the school. Ink dries out in no time and forking up N$800 every time it runs out has not been an easy task for the school. Not with the chronic problem of parents having difficulties contributing to the school fund. The Ministry of Basic Education worsens the situation with its happy-go-lucky policy on children who do not contribute to the school fund. Tjirongo says this policy does not appreciate the situation of a school like hers and that makes for a hand-to-mouth existence and to which the ministry seems oblivious. For many parents with children at the school the policy is an outright permission not to pay. Ultimately the school, and by extension, the learners suffer in silence. Visits to the school by the ministry are a rarity. Hence also an appreciation of the real problems it faces. Through thick and thin it has nevertheless been soldiering on. As the country greets yet another schooling year this week, the principal appeals to both youth organisations and parents to take a special interest in education and to embark on a programme to motivate learners. In a telephonic interview just before the end of last term, she expressed particular concern that despite early reminders to parents to enrol children early for 2007, parents had not responded. This put the school management in a difficult position to plan for this year. Tjirongo said the lack of response from parents to enrol the children in good time underlines their general apathy towards the education of their children. This apathy also manifests itself in their contribution to the school fund, which is also apathetic. As a result education at the school has been a struggle. In fact, because the government has been rarely forthcoming in terms of assistance the school has been running almost like a private concern. Since 1998 when the school first opened its doors to learners, despite being fitted with electric power lines, the school has no power. Cooking takes place on a fire outside and during the rainy season there is no cooking. Not only that, but both office and schoolwork have also been an uphill struggle because of a lack of modern facilities like photocopiers and computers. The only relief in this regard has been a power generator to power the photocopier and an electric typewriter with the old typewriters that do not use power hard to come by these days. The school with an intake of 30 San children last year has been at the sharp edge of the ministry’s ambivalent no-hostel policy whereby parents have to provide food for their own children. So much of the talk of equity in education with some hostels being provided for and others not, she observes. Parents have to dock up N$200 per semester for the food of their children. She contrasts this with other schools where children or their parents pay only N$60. To bring some semblance of standard to the school like powering the photocopier and typewriter, the school has been fighting a lone battle with the ministry conveniently remote. Letter after letter for help, which lacks the backing of the ministry more often than not, do not produce the desired results. Amidst all these it managed two more classrooms last year. Also each teacher is now a happy occupier of a four-walled space serving every need of a home. In this age of budget limitations she suggested that the budget of more established schools be cut for diversion to the lesser fortunate schools like hers. Meantime, it is back to business this year with the usual problems. The realisation that some of the children at her school, and beyond, ever reach university level, gives Tjirongo the staying power.