Lahja Nashuuta
Jan Mohr School has courted controversy for allegedly denying pupils access to textbooks for failure to pay a N$4 500 voluntary school fee. The fee jumped by a whopping 67%, from N$3 000 in 2024 to N$4 500 this year.
The situation has allegedly left most parents between a rock and a hard place as they try to make ends meet.
A parent who spoke to New Era on condition of anonymity expressed shock upon discovering that only children whose parents had paid the N$4 500 school contribution would receive the textbooks.
This decision was allegedly taken unanimously by teachers, in cahoots with parents with means at their disposal, to the detriment of those who cannot afford the fee.
“Financial bidding decisions cannot be decided by some parents to fit all at the expense of the children, and the school resolution should be in line with the executive director’s directives and in line with the government policy, which abolished compulsory school fees and declared free education in Namibia,” complained the parent.
“As a school community, we cannot overrule such policies without the knowledge of the minister. Therefore, the resolution is not in line with governance and should be reversed with immediate effect. Some parents cannot afford it, and that is a fact. Their children cannot be punished because of one-size-fits-all decisions,” said another parent.
Another distraught parent added: “We were told that those textbooks were not bought by the school, but by the government and meant for all learners regardless of the economic background, and I feel it is unfair that the school is attaching the allocation of textbooks to a school contribution.
“As a public school, they are supposed to supplement government funding by encouraging voluntary contributions and doing other reasonable forms of fundraising, but raising the voluntary contribution to N$4 500 will deny most children whose parents cannot afford to pay, access to textbooks.”
Responding to the allegations, the principal, Lukas Hashiti, confirmed that only those learners whose parents had paid the N$4 500 will be prioritised for the available textbooks.
“The government is struggling to provide textbooks; hence a resolution came from the parents that at least during the first few weeks, the first few available books must be given to the children whose parents had contributed the voluntary fee,” said Hashiti.
According to Hashiti, the resolution to adjust the fee from N$3 000 to N$4 500 was taken at a parents’ meeting to raise the funds to complement the ministry in procuring stationery and textbooks and the running of the school in general.
“The parents resolved that at least for the first two weeks or so, we must give the books to children of parents who had contributed as a kind of motivation. We will give them to everybody if the books are enough. The problem is the shortage of textbooks,” he said.
Ministry
Meanwhile, education executive director Sanet Steenkamp, when contacted, reiterated the ministry’s call for schools to desist from demanding payment from parents.
Steenkamp maintained that the ministry does not support schools demanding payment, as schools are allocated budgets to carry out their activities.
“In terms of Jan Möhr, I have no evidence to that effect. However, it’s a matter that I have addressed already. If there are parents that are faced with children still sitting at school based on this N$4 500 that is being requested, the regional director needs to be informed as a matter of urgency for them to take the necessary action with the school and the parents,” she said.
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