Allexer Namundjembo
The Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture has finalised the School Grant Policy.
Education Minister Anna Nghipondoka presented the policy in parliament on Tuesday.
Nghipondoka said the ministry conducted national and regional consultations between December 2019 and February 2020 to inform the public on the development of a funding model.
“This consultation process resulted in the development of the School Grant Policy, the aim of which is to reduce existing inequities through an efficient and equitable funding mechanism that ensures that schools and their learners, from different socio-economic backgrounds, access the adequate resources required to participate fully in education, despite their past historical, material, or social disparities,” she said.
According to the policy document the funding model is designed to address the growing need for equitable distribution of resources across educational institutions.
“By allocating funds based on clear and transparent criteria, the policy aims to ensure that all schools, regardless of location or size, have access to the necessary resources to provide quality education,” the document reads.
Various educationally marginalised groups in need of special interventions to access education are identified in the policy.
These groups are: children of farm workers, children in remote rural areas, street children, children in squatter areas and resettlement camps, children with physical or mental impairments, over-aged children according to existing policies, and children from families living in extreme poverty.
“The policy strives to provide affordable education for children from poor families, covering their school fees and uniforms, offering financial assistance for transport and boarding to children who live too far from school, and implementing school feeding programs to not only nourish but also incentivize children to attend school,” the document reads.
According to the policy, funds will be transferred in a timely manner to avoid delays in implementing school activities due to cash-flow challenges.
The financial year for state schools commences on the first day of January and ends on the last day of December each year.
The National African Student Association (NASA) has accepted the new policy.
According to NASA’s president, Muzani Muzani it is their wish that the policy be improved to ensure that every penny spent is documented for transparency and accountability purposes.
“We advise schools to share or publish copies of financial statements during parent meetings or engagements with various stakeholders, such as student leaders. Additionally, student leaders should be granted access to these financial statements, which can be done by calling stakeholders to a meeting once the financial books are closed,” Muzani added.
Affirmative Repositioning Student Command leader Johanna Frans also said that the school grant policy is a good initiative that will ensure schools are held accountable for the resources allocated to them.
“The Ministry of Education must ensure that every public school submits its annual financial reports. The ministry should then ensure that these reports are published in newspapers to promote transparency, allowing citizens to review and analyse them. This public discourse can generate new ideas that will help the ministry improve the allocation of resources,” Frans said.
