Angula says education can never be free

Ministry of Education, Arts, and Culture image

By: Envaalde Matheus

Former Prime Minister Nahas Angula says education is costly and cannot be paid for by the taxpayers.

Nahas was Namibia’s first education minister from 1990 to 1995 and then higher education minister from 1995 to 2005. NewsOnOne sought Nahas’ comments regarding the issue of procuring stationery.

Angula said that in the 1990s, the parents supported a system. He explained that the system made it easier for parents than today, where families buy exercise books, uniforms, and other essentials.

“In the 1990s, when I was in the sector of education and training, there was a system supported partially by parents through the School Development Fund. Parents with children in a school contributed to this fund, which was used to procure classroom essentials for learners,” Angula said.

He explained that the underlying belief was that education is a shared responsibility. “While the government was tasked with providing classrooms, paying teachers, and supplying desks and other basic necessities, parents were expected to make a contribution as well,” he said.

Angula said the older system worked effectively. “For instance, parents with more than one child in a school paid a reduced amount for additional children: the first child’s contribution was at the full rate, the second child’s at 75%, and subsequent children at an even lower percentage,” he said.

Angula urged public discourse to find solutions that alleviate the current challenges. “If a parent could not afford to contribute, they needed to provide proof issued by an authoritative organization. This approach allowed parents to subsidize each other and ensured schools had the resources to function,” he said.

Angula said today, that parents bear the full burden of providing school essentials, including uniforms, exercise books, pens, pencils, rulers, book covers, school bags, and even cleaning materials. He added that the current challenges in education funding can be traced back to decisions made by some comrades during Swapo Congress.