HIV-AIDS casts long shadow over the education sector

THE devastating impact of HIV-AIDS on the education sector is of grave concern, says Basic Education Minister John Mutorwa.

Motivating the largest allocation in this year’s national Budget – a whopping N$2,4 billion – in the National Assembly on Thursday, Mutorwa said the pandemic had the “potential to nullify all the good work that is being planned and done within the sector”. The allocation, which is almost seven per cent more than last year, will provide for the education of 566 740 school children and 27 000 distance education learners, adult literacy for 40 000 people and the services of 23 000 staff, of whom 18 000 are teachers.Just more than N$90 million will go towards arts and culture institutions, library and information services as well as sport activities.But the Minister said although his portion of the budget was large, the actual resources available to individual pupils were “relatively little, to the point of being eroded”.With the growing school-going population, Mutorwa said, more resources had to be acquired in accordance with the 1999 Presidential Commission on Education in Namibia.He said the sector still had a long way to go to ensure that pupils in all regions had equal and fair resources.The Minister also described a shortage of housing for teaching staff as a “frustration and serious impediment” to employing teachers in rural locations.An ailing fleet of vehicles, he added, meant that advisory services could not be taken to the country’s schools.During a visit to the Caprivi last week, he had learnt that only three of its pool of 30 vehicles were still in working order – but even these, he said, were left over from the days of Untag.This situation was not limited to that region.The provision for primary education will consume just more than half of this year’s education budget at N$1,2 billion.This represents an increase of N$26 million to this division since last year.Of this, some N$36 million will be used for building classrooms and new schools.Personnel expenditure for this sector will total just more than N$1 billion.Secondary education will receive N$536 million – an increase of N$90 million over the previous financial year.The renovation of schools and hostels, as well as the construction of new classrooms, will cost about N$58,1 million, while personnel expenditure will require N$436 million.Over and above this, N$226 million has been set aside for the maintenance of hostels so as to “create a relatively safe home away from home for each hostel child so as to ensure access to education and learning services”, said Mutorwa.Distance learning centre Namcol will receive N$27 million of the N$66 million allocated to adult education.Of this, N$830 000 will be spent on the construction of new community learning and development centres for adult learning in the Omusati and Oshana Regions.The National Theatre of Namibia and the National Art Gallery are both expected to undergo construction work at a cost of nearly N$6 million.The budget for sport has been increased to N$33 million this year.About N$8 million of this is earmarked for sports complexes in the Khomas, Erongo, Oshana, Ohangwena and Otjozondjupa Regions.Mutorwa said participation in sports by the previously disadvantaged rural youth would receive priority.The allocation, which is almost seven per cent more than last year, will provide for the education of 566 740 school children and 27 000 distance education learners, adult literacy for 40 000 people and the services of 23 000 staff, of whom 18 000 are teachers.Just more than N$90 million will go towards arts and culture institutions, library and information services as well as sport activities.But the Minister said although his portion of the budget was large, the actual resources available to individual pupils were “relatively little, to the point of being eroded”.With the growing school-going population, Mutorwa said, more resources had to be acquired in accordance with the 1999 Presidential Commission on Education in Namibia.He said the sector still had a long way to go to ensure that pupils in all regions had equal and fair resources.The Minister also described a shortage of housing for teaching staff as a “frustration and serious impediment” to employing teachers in rural locations.An ailing fleet of vehicles, he added, meant that advisory services could not be taken to the country’s schools.During a visit to the Caprivi last week, he had learnt that only three of its pool of 30 vehicles were still in working order – but even these, he said, were left over from the days of Untag.This situation was not limited to that region.The provision for primary education will consume just more than half of this year’s education budget at N$1,2 billion.This represents an increase of N$26 million to this division since last year.Of this, some N$36 million will be used for building classrooms and new schools.Personnel expenditure for this sector will total just more than N$1 billion.Secondary education will receive N$536 million – an increase of N$90 million over the previous financial year.The renovation of schools and hostels, as well as the construction of new classrooms, will cost about N$58,1 million, while personnel expenditure will require N$436 million.Over and above this, N$226 million has been set aside for the maintenance of hostels so as to “create a relatively safe home away from home for each hostel child so as to ensure access to education and learning services”, said Mutorwa.Distance learning centre Namcol will receive N$27 million of the N$66 million allocated to adult education.Of this, N$830 000 will be spent on the construction of new community learning and development centres for adult learning in the Omusati and Oshana Regions.The National Theatre of Namibia and the National Art Gallery are both expected to undergo construction work at a cost of nearly N$6 million.The budget for sport has been increased to N$33 million this year.About N$8 million of this is earmarked for sports complexes in the Khomas, Erongo, Oshana, Ohangwena and Otjozondjupa Regions.Mutorwa said participation in sports by the previously disadvantaged rural youth would receive priority.