No more makeshift school structures – deputy education minister Ballotti

Deputy minister of education, innovation, youth, arts, and culture Dino Ballotti has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring that no child in Namibia attends school in makeshift structures.

Speaking at a regional briefing with the directorate of education management in the Kavango West region on Friday, he highlighted the ministry’s dedication to improving education and acknowledged the region’s resilience despite ongoing challenges.

“The commitment for the region is that we will not have pupils going to schools in makeshift infrastructure.

“We will fix that, that I can tell you today. There’s no way, with a 24-billion budget, we will not be able to find 10 million to fix that solution,” Ballotti said.

He said the education sector faces numerous challenges, many of which stem from the lack of prioritisation and balanced resource allocation.

“I’m just sharing the realities. How can we be painting a school in Windhoek while we have schools breaking down?

“These are the realities we face in schools, but we don’t even talk about the dilapidated schools. Some schools are not even safe, and that’s where our friends from the media will hold the government accountable.

‘It’s a question of balancing the resources. That’s the challenge we face. This is not the Republic of Commerce – I say that everywhere I go, it’s the Republic of Namibia,” he said.

Ballotti said with the budget allocations within the mid-term expenditure framework, there is a pressing need for greater accountability.

“We can’t allow months and years to pass once the budget has been made available. I am particularly concerned about schools lacking ablution facilities and access to water – these are real challenges.

“I believe we need to be more resourceful. Just because the budget is available does not mean we can be complacent,” he said.

“You can hold me accountable. Even if we don’t build a football stadium, we will make sure children are not going to school in makeshift structures.

“It’s not acceptable that Bravo School, specifically serving a marginalised community, has been in a makeshift structure for six or seven years, it’s simply not good enough,” Ballotti said.

He said he appreciated private sector partners and government agencies which have chosen to invest in classroom construction and administrative infrastructure.

“I shall commend them and appreciate them. But the fact that the government built 50 classrooms in this region last year, yet did not prioritise 20 classrooms – which is all that was needed to resolve the makeshift situation – is not acceptable.

“I don’t know who is responsible, but we must all take responsibility. We cannot accept that in 2025, there are still pupils going to school in makeshift infrastructure,” he urged.

Ballotti pledged renewed seriousness in improving education, youth development, sport, and innovation.

“Just because resources are constrained doesn’t mean we cannot compete.

“Twenty-nine schools without proper structures are too many – and that is not going to continue,” he said. – Nampa

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