RUNDU – Thirteen schools in the Kavango (East and West) regions find themselves in limbo, where the education directorate stands accused of reducing or redirecting funds meant for universal primary education.
This year schools in the region enrolled 63 979 learners ranging from preprimary to Grade 7 learners. About N$22.7 million was allocated to the Kavango regions. Now, school authorities accuse the education directorate of delaying the disbursement of funds meant for free education. Each learner is supposed to receive N$418.96, but the amount has inexplicably been reduced drastically to N$118 per learner.
Earlier this year New Era reported that the Ministry of Education budgeted N$162 million for the 386 675 learners enrolled at primary schools across the country. The budgetary allocation translates into N$418.96 per child per year. The N$162 million forms part of the education ministry’s budget of N$10.7 billion allocated in the current fiscal year – 2013/14. Regional Education Director, Alfons Dikuua, said the regional office is in the process of verifying the exact number of preprimary and primary school learners in the region so that it can disburse the funds. “We will use the standard prescribed formula which is the total number of learners at a school divided by the total learner population in the region multiplied by N$22.7 million. We cannot use the figures that we took at the start of the year, because some schools enrolled additional learners while some learners also dropped out of school,” he explained.
He said school principals were fed the wrong information by one of the junior officials in the regional education directorate. During an interview with New Era yesterday, Dikuua vehemently denied the allegations and charged that no funds were in any way misused, reduced or delayed.
“This is a public office, and so are the funds that they are talking about. There is no way I can keep things a secret, therefore they [principals] were supposed to come to me for clarity so that I can explain how the funds will be distributed and why there was a delay,” he thundered. He presented the bank statement of the directorate to this reporter, which indicates that the education head office deposited N$63.204.075.00 into the regional office account from which the disputed N$22.7 million should come from. The money was deposited on August 02, 2013.
“It is really disappointing that people are misinformed and yet they do not approach the office for clarity,” he said. Meanwhile, Rundu Circuit Inspector Boniface Kangungu, under which the concerned schools fall, said he was not consulted in any way by the school principals. “They jumped me, I do not know why but maybe they have their reasons,” said Kangungu.
In a letter forwarded to the Namibia National Teachers Union (Nantu) regional leadership, dated August 19, the school heads urged the union to intervene and find out why the regional education office has reduced the funds and whether the permanent secretary has authorized the regional office to reduce the amount and why the funds are delayed. “We would like the Nantu head office to request the permanent secretary of education to do a proper audit as far as this money is concerned. How and for what was this money used,” reads the letter.
Upon receiving the letter, Nantu regional chairperson Pontianus Musore responded in writing that the regional office is investigating the matter. “We will keep you abreast on the matter as soon as we get information. We would kindly like to thank you for your keen interest in matters that affect the education of Namibian children,” said Musore in the letter.
By Mathias Haufiku