‘REPUBLIC. OF NAMIBIA MINISTRY OF BASIC EDUCATION, SPORT AND CULTURE Directorate of Planning and Development Private Bag 13186, Windhoek, NAMIBIA Enquiries: O Hailombe File no. 22/2/4/P Tel: (061) 293 3353 Fax: (061) 293 3932/3 Email address: [email protected] Date: 30 August 2002 CIRCULAR: FORMAL EDUCATION 8/2002 TO: REGIONAL DIRECTORS OF EDUCATION HEAD OFFICE DIRECTORS. CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF REGIONAL COUNCILS INSPECTORS OF EDUCATION SCHOOL PRINCIPALS GUIDELINES FOR THE RATIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS AND EXPANSION OF GRADES AT EXISTING SCHOOLS. 1. In order to bring education as close to the people as possible and to give all children of school-going age a basic education, guidelines are needed for the rational development of schools in Namibia. 2. Attached to this circular is the Ministry of Basic Education, Sport and Culture’s policy document. 3. You are requested to study the policy document thoroughly and to implement the policy. The previous circular: Formal Education number 12/1991 remain relevant. MINISTRY OF BASIC EDUGATI ‘SPORT AND Guirune ey OFFICE OF THE PERMANENT SECRETARY All official correspondence should be addressed tothe Permanent SecretaryOPMENT OF GOVERNMENT AT EXISTING SCHOOLS GUIDELINES FOR THE RATIONAL Ee SCHOOLS AND EXPANSION OF GRADE; SECTION A B ¢ > mao 2) 3) 4) oS Guidelines. SS Background Principles for the establishment and restructuring of existing schools Guidelines for the rational development of schools + Establishment of a new school - Adding a primary phase to an existing school - Adding a secondary phase to an existing school - Merging, phasing out of grade(s), and closing of schools General Procedures Naming and renaming of schools Terminology BACKGROUND The Ministry of Basic Education, Sport and Culture is committed to bringing education as close to the people as possible and to giving all children 6 years old and upwards a basic education. However, schools cannot be established everywhere and anywhere, and guidelines are needed for the rational development of schools in Namibia. The rational development of schools is a broad term, which includes: a) the establishment of new schools b) the expansion or downgrading of existing schools, c) merging or closing of existing schools where necessary, and is used here because so much of school development in Namibia has happened along uncoordinated lines, as for example where communities have established schools without reference to other nearby schools, or on sites which are unsuitable. There are no universal methods or techniques for planning the location of schools or the expansion of the grades at the existing schools. Methods may vary according to educational systems and population densities. The guidelines given here will enable the MBESC to improve the current clustering of schools, and the rationalization and allocation of school resources. The guidelines will aso help the MBESC to achieve its broad goals. ines follow the MBESC’s staffing norms (learner-teacher ratios). These noms ponents in any decision on school development. For example, the noms nether additional teachers for additional grades can be considered. The should form the basis for these guidelines. The guidel are critical comy help determine v1 existing staffing norms S is led. Efforts should be | is determined by the number of learners enrol fi fa schow' ion closer to the people by establishing small schools inthe sparsely made to bring eduction ecessary. However, schools must also develop with the aim of jated areas, WIT education, preferably as complete primary schools (Grades 1-7), sng a full PB a offering Fete tecondary schoo! (Grades 8-12. ). or as © The size of 8 The establishment of" (001 Jar the estab afa new sche jo5) A cluster of schools, offering full phases, with teachers allocated to normal class groups and grades is the most desirable system. However, deviations are necessary in many areas where populations are spread sparsely. In these situations, leamers might be taught in multigrade classes, and very small schools could be managed on a “satellite basis.” In the MBESC, a satellite school is defined as a school which is located on separate premises, has staff of its own, but which is supervised by the principal of another school. A satellite school has no post of principal on its establishment. Satellite schools cannot be situated in a different ‘political’ region than their governing schools. B PRINCIPLES FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF NEW SCHOOLS AND RESTRUCTURING OF EXISTING SCHOOLS 1) The regional education offices should adhere to the following general principles to ensure that schools develop along rational lines. 2) Allrelevant stakeholders in the communities should be consulted whenever a change to a school is contemplated or planned. Special attention should be given to consultation with e the school board and with the local community. Relevant information should be provided by the regional office to the school concemed. The the responsible regional councillor(s) must be consulted on an individual basis as well as through the Regional Education Forum. 3) Each school should be considered as part of a cluster of schools, and an effort should be made to ensure that leamers can be accommodated in this cluster as they progress through the grades, from phase to phase. 4) Allrelevant information on the school in question and on those within the same cluster of schools should be studied to assess enrolment trends. The Ministry's school census information should be utilized in this respect. In addition, it is also expected of principals to inform the inspector of education about the space available in their schools. 5) Information contained in an application to establish a new school or to provide higher phases must be verified and complemented by visits of the regional education @ planner/officer and inspector of education to the proposed site/school and the catchment areas. The capacities of existing schools should be assessed, catchment areas be determined, and distances between a proposed new site and existing schools be measured. A sketch map showing the above-mentioned information should accompany the request. 6) The regional office should make projections based on population changes, enrolments and possible problems which may be encountered in the future. 7) The following specific factors should be taken into account: a) Requirements for and the availability of existing physical facilities (classrooms, libraries, laboratories, teacher housing, sanitary facilities, etc) and possible extensions. b) Requirements for and availability of qualified teachers, especially those needed for higher phases. MBESC Guidelines for the establishment ofa new school 7e ©) Availability of water and electricity, topography of land, road links and future development of these facilities and services. 4) A reliable electric power supply, whether from the national grid or by means of solar Panels is essential for a new secondary school or for the addition of secondary classrooms to an existing school. ¢) The existence of public services and business facilites in proximity to the site 8) The capacity and capability of a school’s management, teaching cadre, and school board should be assessed to check whether they will be able to handle the proposed changes. 8) The financial implications of the proposals must be considered in detail and the regional education budget should be used in the most effective manner. Where a change is to be phased in, the recurrent financial implications for the succesive years of phasing in must be projected. h) An application for a new establishment or changes to an existing structure that will have financial implications should be submitted 18 months ahead of implementation to the Regional Director, for budgetary and staffing purposes. ') The MBESC is not obliged to take over a school, which has been established by the Community without consultation with, or against the advice of, the Ministry Basic Education, Sport and Culture. GUIDELINES FOR THE RATIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF SCHOOLS Establishment of a new school y 2) 3) To establish a new school there should be at least 35 leamers in the catchment area, In sparsely populated areas less than 35 leamers could be considered; and in such a case strong motivation must be provided. ‘A new school should be planned to ensure that it can offer a complete phase of schooling Within four years. For new primary schools this would be the lower primary phase (Grades 1-4). Planning of new primary schools should also include future expansion to the full primary phase (Grades 1-7), unless there are strong reasons (which should be Stated) for believing that this will not happen. Where numbers of leamers are low, multi. Srade teaching should be used to ensure that staffing norms are adhered to (preferably not more than two grades per class group). ‘MBESC Guidelines for the establishment of anew school 34) Ideally, primary school learners should not have to walk more than 5 kilometres (one way)to schools and secondary school learners not more than 10 kilometres. (one way). 5) In urban and other areas with relatively dense populations, schools can be established close together ,but only after it has been verified that existing schools are full, or cannot, be expanded, and/or better use of existing facilities cannot be made through the use of the platoon system for a limited number of years. 6) Small schools with an enrolment not reaching normal size and thereby not complying. with the ministry's staffing norms, or of a temporary nature, should be established as “satellite schools” 7) The aim is to achieve effectiveness and to ensure quality education and sound school management. The satellite school will then depend on a governing school, where the existing school principal will be expected to manage the satellite school. 8) The increased responsibilities and tasks of the governing school principal must be considered, and the change should not be made if it is not economically justified. 9) Schools should not be located where there isno sustainable access to drinking water. The option of transporting water to school in tanks should be considered only if itis likely to be sustained. Preference should always be given to an alternative site close by where piped or borehole water is available, Where hostel facilities or the provision of flush toilets are considered, the rate of flow of water must be taken into account. 10) No new school should be established without adequate toilets and hand washing facilities. Adding a primary phase at an existing school 1) Additional grades may be added to an a existing primary school, but normally only within a programme of development that will allow the school to offer a full phase of education. ‘Applications for additional grades should thus always be considered in the light of ‘whether a school has, or will have, the facilities, enrolments and staffing to provide a full phase of schooling. 2) The qualification level and competence of the principal and teachers of the school must be taken into account. 3) In addition, the application should specify the availability and viability of higher phases at nearby schools. If the distance to nearby school(s), where higher grades are already available is less than 5 kilometres, special justification is needed. 4) A school should thus apply for a full phase rather than one additional grade. Once approved, the school will phase in the additional grades in successive years. 5) When applying for upper primary (Grades 5-7), the school should demonstrate that the average leamner-teacher ratio will remain within the required norm to justify expansion The school must have a history of a steadily increasing or consistent enrolment figure during the preceding three years. MBESC Guidelines for the establishment ofa new school 4Adding secondary phase at an existing school In order to add higher grades, an investigation should be made, considering the following 1) Pre-vocational subjects which are offered at junior secondary phase, should complement subjects offered at nearby secondary schools. They should also correspond with subjects offered at senior secondary schools or at vocational training institutions in the region. 2) Identified feeder schools should be able to supply additional leamers to make the phase viable. 3) The existing or planned facilities should be able to cater for the additional enrolment. 4) Qualifications and competence of both the principal and teachers should be taken into consideration when a particular school applies for expansion. 5) Possible additional staffneeded, with their subject areas specified. 6) Possible staff accommodation needed, 7) Need for hostel accommodation, Merging. phasing out of grade (s) and closing of schools The viability of merging, phasing out or closing of identified schools must be monitored and the situation should be reconsidered when necessary. Ministry policies, and regional administration of schools should focus on the need for an effective cluster of schools, rather than concentrating on each school independently. Merging of two or more schools The rural or urban situation must be considered (densely/sparsely populated area), The merging of schools should be considered in the following situations: 1) Where two or more schools are close to each other, and the enrolment at either or both shows a constant decline over a period of time, 2) Where two or more schools within a short grades, but because they are so small, teacher per grade. distance of one another offer exactly the same their respective enrolments do not justify one 3) The possible transfer of staff should be taken into account. 4) As an alternative to merging a school with declining numbers, it could become a satellite school of a nearby sustainable school. MBESC Guidelines for the establishment of a new school 5Phasing out grade (s) Phasing out should be considered in the following situations: 1) When the enrolment of a specific school phase decreases to such an extent that the phase isnot viable any more. 2) Where incomplete phases from the past are still in existence and upgrading is not possible according to criteria. 3) Where the number of leamers does not justify enough teachers to cover the curriculum, and the phase becomes unviable. 4) The possible transfer of staff should be taken into account. 5) The phasing out of grades should normally be a gradual process, working from the lower ‘grades to the higher grades, over successive years. Closing of school The closing of schools should be considered in the following situation: 1) When the total number of learners at a school is less than 35. 2) The school will be closed and the leamers and staff will be transferred to other schools. 3) Imorder to close a school there must be other acceptable options for the learners. 4) The temporary closure of a school may be occasioned by natural causes, like flooding, fires, drought, etc., but has no implication for the establishment of that particular school and the school will start operating again as soon as the reason for the closure is gone. Such situations are outisde the scope of these guidelines. D GENERAL PROCEDURES FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF NEW SCHOOLS AND RESTRUCTURING OF EXISTING SCHOOLS 1) Anew primary school or the restructuring of an existing school could be initiated by: a) The community or the school board, by applying to the Regional Director via the inspector of education. b) The inspector of education or the regional office. 2) An application should be submitted at least 18 months prior to the planned starting of the school, or of the envisaged restructuring, 3) The inspector of education and the education planner must be involved in the consultations with the community and with the other stakeholders. ‘MBESC Guidelines for the establishment of @ new school 6- id the ili it to the site/school by the planner an¢ bility study will include a visit to : 7 eee of education, to determine what should be done, where, when and by whom. 5) The viability study should be submitted to the Regional Director for approval. ication wit it decided upon by the Regional 6) ‘The application with the attached viability study should be d upc i : Director. If the application is approved, and has financial implications, the Regional Office must budget to meet these. Implementation is subject to funds being available. 7) The Regional Office must inform the applicant and relevant stakeholders and the Permanent Secretary of the decision, 8) The approved registration form must be submitted to the Directorate of Planning and Development at the Head Office. 9) The EMIS division will assign a four-digit code to a new school. Existing schools retain their code, even if they are restructured. E NAMING AND RENAMING OF SCHOOLS 4) The naming of a school is the esponsibility of the community which it serves, but the approval of the Permanent Secretary is also required. 2) When a new school is contemplated, it will be given a temporary name by the regional office. As Seon as a schoo! board has been elected, the board, after consultation with the community, should decide on the recommended name of the school. 3) The school board informs the regional office of the recommended name of a new school, or of ©) If the regional director foresees problems with the name chosen, the matter is taken up with the school board. 5) A regional Office may consult the Directorate. of Heritage and Culture Programmes, on the e Puability of @ name, before submitting documents to the Directorate of Pk Development, attaching all relevant documents, §) The Directorate of Planning and Development submits the documentation to the Permanent Secretary. 7) Once the Permanent Secretary has confirmed the name, Development ensures that the details are recorded in the director concemed. the Directorate of Planning and EMIS database, and advises the regional 8) New names of schools should be consistent with the terminology below. MBESC Guidelines for the establishment ofa new school 7 itiy 2) 3) 4) 5) TERMINOLOGY Primary schools cover grades 1-7 (or will do so once phasing in is completed). Lower primary schools, cover grades 1-4 (or will do so once phasing in is completed) and there is no immediate intention of extending to include upper primary grades. Secondary schools, or High schools, cover grades 8-12 (or will do so once phasing in is completed) Junior secondary schools, cover grades 8-10 (or will do so once phasing in is completed) and there is no immediate intention of extending to include senior secondary grades. Combined schools have primary and secondary phases1-10, 5-8 and/or 1-12. Satellite schools normally offer primary phases, and governed by one of the nearby school principals.