2nd National Conference on Orphans and Other ... - FHI 360

therefore reached consensus that a national
educational development fund should be
established, to which the schools can apply for
grants to supplement what they lose through
exemptions, and grants for the care and support
they need to provide to OVC. School development
plans for the year should cater for the latter.
The group spent an hour debating the definition
of ‘free’ education. Even though Namibia has
a school fee system, these are not fees per se,
but rather they are contributions to the School
Development Fund; it is money going to the
school, not to the Government, whereas in many
other countries the fees (also hostel fees) go to
the Government. The School Development
Fund is decided on by the community through
the school boards, and it is the community that
can abolish the fund because only community
members know what they can afford. Parents
and school boards could decide what they will
pay for the year. Once the fee levels are set, the
parents and school boards could determine how
many children will not be able to pay, and then
apply to the <strong>National</strong> Educational Development
Fund for a grant to make up for the shortfall. At
the same time the Circles of Support could apply
for funds to cover other needs of OVC in their
schools, e.g. they could start a school feeding
programme or provide uniforms to OVC. The
idea is that the Circles of Support should identify
the needs and forms of support required.
Addition (Spendu Onesmus): The group also
looked at the issue of redirecting social welfare
grants to benefit education, in the sense that a
portion of the grant could be earmarked for the
child’s education and directed straight into the
School Development Fund.
Comment (Doris Roos): On the point that
school development funds go to the school and
not the Government, I am concerned that the
people sitting on the school boards are generally
the community elite who can afford to pay fees.
The Government should have the responsibility
to ensure that no child is excluded from access
to education due to fees being too high.
Comment (Pelucy Nfambirweki): I would
like to remind the participants that above all else,
the children whose concerns we have heard ask
for education to be truly free. Are we making a
mockery of their presence and concerns by
saying that free education is not in fact an option?
Ms Masabane proposed a motion to adopt the strategies and recommendations as amended and the
motion was seconded and adopted. This ended the morning session of Day 3.
<strong>2nd</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Conference</strong> on Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children – Windhoek, Namibia, 25-27 June 2002: Full Report
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