SYLVANA TEKUMAHA
The Minister for Education and Human Resource Development (MEHRD) Tozen Leokana told parliament that education is a shared responsibility.
Contributing to the Sine Die Motion in parliament on Tuesday this week, he said preparation of a child requires long term vision, policy consistency and discipline implementation.
“Education reforms deliver lasting impact only when sustained beyond political circles.
“While the state provides leadership regulations, and finances. Families, communities and education providers have an important responsibility in the process. A strong partnership is not optional but fundamental towards a student’s success,” he said.
He highlighted that the Ministry of Education’s focus remains on strengthening the education system around the country.
“The Ministry remains committed to teacher development, improvement of learning environment, inclusive access, strengthened oversights, transparency with a measurable result will remain central to our approach,” he said.
According to Leokana the ministry’s finance is one of the most demanding and politically sensitive responsibility of the government.
“It is disappointing to hear arguments that disregard physical realities and rely on slogans rather than solutions. Successive governments have consistently prioritised education with an expenditure exceeding international benchmarks,” he said.
Furthermore, Leokana said he will not accept perpetuation of the myth of a completely free education, for the narrative is economically dishonest. The former fee free basic education policy was unsustainable. He said if it continues it will bankrupt schools, erode standards and destabilize the system.
“The truth is simple, Education has real and unavoidable cost,” he said.
Under the Education Act 2023 the maximum tuition fees are as follows:
- For non-boarding schools for primary in urban schools, they should charge the maximum of $1200, while non-urban schools should charge a maximum fee of $250.
- Junior secondary for urban schools should charge with the maximum of $2000 while non-urban Junior secondary schools should charge a maximum of $800
- Senior secondary Education in Urban Centre should charge up to $4000 and non-urban Senior Secondary School should charge a maximum of $3000
- Boarding schools for Junior secondary in Urban Centre should charge a maximum of $4500 while boarding schools in non-urban should charge a maximum of $2800
- Boarding schools for Senior secondary in an urban area should charge a maximum of $9000 while a Senior Secondary boarding school in a non-urban school should have the maximum of $7200.
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