Govt warns schools against selling application forms

Deputy minister of education, arts and culture Faustina Caley has condemned schools selling application forms to parents.

She was speaking to Desert Radio on Tuesday.

Caley said the ministry annually allocates government schools a grant to help them buy materials that contribute to an environment conducive to teaching.

“What do you do with this money?” she asked.

Caley said it is every child’s right to get an education – whether resources are made available by the government or not.

She said government schools can manage with the limited resources the government provides.

“Every child must be taught,” she said.

She said the number of unemployed teachers in the country is alarming, but the government does not have enough resources to facilitate new teachers.

“If we had enough resources we could employ these teachers and the challenges facing primary education could be mitigated,” she said.

Caley said she travelled to rural schools in different regions in May to learn about their complaints and needs so that the government can assist them.

“Rural schools are also getting attention . . . because children in rural areas also need quality education,” she said.