Conclusiones

Perhaps a look at low-fee private schools would be an option to consider. I agree with Brewer (2011:42) that it is assumed that there is a significant demand for low-fee private schooling among parents who are able and willing to pay for it, and that private schooling is a better solution than what is currently offered by government schools. My study thus pays attention to the abovementioned fact, since the true value proposition has not yet been established by both schools. Ann Bernstein (2014) points out that one of the assumptions about private vs. public schools is government schools on average perform worse than private schools. The result is that, when poor parents do have a choice, they send their children to private schools, preferably in their neighbourhoods (Bernstein, 2014). This was researched in Oranjemund to be able to establish the value proposition for parents.

After the independence of Namibia in 1990, more Namibian employees were included in the skilled labour structures of the Mine. The school numbers increased and, as a deterrent to keep lower-band employees out of the school, a small school fee was introduced.

On the other hand, when parents started private schools elsewhere in Namibia, they assessed the need whether the private school education should be limited to primary school education, or should it include secondary education as well? Costs were thus involved, and these costs determined the affordability of school fees. In these cases, the school fees determined the attraction and retention

factor for learners to be enrolled in these rural private schools. This very much depended on what was seen as affordable school fees – how much were these parents willing to pay for private school fees for a presumably better education? One would assume that these parents would want this kind of education for their children. Where it was not really affordable, would they be more willing to contribute in any other way regarding fundraising or delivering a service to the school in lieu of school fees (or at least a reduction therein)?

In the case of a school being started by parents, how much are they willing to pay for teachers’

salaries? Costs or the budget would need to be calculated from this angle. An analysis of how many grades, how many subjects offered, how many classes per grade, etc. would be have to be drawn up.

A framework for the school would be required, and then the costs and staffing needs would have to be established from this point. Learner numbers would be a key factor to cover the costs. This would mean that the curriculum offered, entry requirements like the income of the parents and the scholastic performance of the learners would be factors to be considered.

In a case like Oranjemund, in relation to which an education solution for a small rural community is being investigated, we also have to pause at a certain point, and perhaps rightfully so early in the investigation, to ponder whether we are asking the right questions. One pertinent question would be:

is there space for a private school in this town?

According to a study done in India (Bangay & Latham, 2013), focus was provided by the Indian government to provide access to education for the vast numbers of children entering primary education and, in doing so, they did not provide quality education. A large number of low-cost private schools entered the niche market to provide access to quality education, but unfortunately they also did not remain focused on the provision of quality education. Bangay and Latham (2013) correctly point out that the focus should be on the following questions when moving beyond the state vs. non-state providers of education in a community:

• Is it pedagogically sound? Are teachers making use of the latest trends in education? Do they show innovation in planning each lesson and are they bearing each learner in mind in doing so?

• Does it deliver meaningful learning? Do the learners learn more than in other schools? Do they have a better general knowledge than the average child does their age? Do they achieve better results in the SATS?

• Is it equitable? Are the parents satisfied with the value proposition? Are they getting a return on their investment? Are the children being taught to be more self-reliant and independent?

Are they developing into critical thinkers? Are the parents paying a price fair for their child’s education?

• Is it scalable? Would the private school be filling a gap in educational needs? Would the private school be perceived as being there to fill a rightful place in the educational needs of the community? Is the private school contributing to the community in any way? Is there quality assurance?

• Is it financially viable? Private schools are heavily reliant on sustainable revenue streams.

Apart from asking school fees from parents at an affordable rate, other funding is critically needed, especially in rural areas. Donations, grants or subsidies would assist private schools in rural areas to develop to their full potential. It would be very risky for a private school to rely only on funding through school fees from its parent base and their fundraising efforts.

• Is it sustainable? Any private school in a rural setting will only be sustainable as long as the revenue streams are healthy and do not dry up. Drought-stricken farming communities and rural mining activities affected by economic fluctuations are calculated risks private schools face when compiling their budget and their future development plans. Even the performance of the national government or the local authorities could have an adverse effect on the sustainability of a rural private school.

The paper by Bangay and Latham (2013) also poses the question whether there are ways that access to improved learning can be expanded in low-cost private schools at an affordable cost and in a sustainable manner while addressing equity and system improvement concerns through a public-private partnership. Private schools in a rural setting should be seen as complementing the education of learners in that area and also as providing parents with an alternative choice for education for their children, instead of being regarded as competition.

The above are among the possibilities that might work as providing an education solution in this small rural town if the provision of a private school becomes not viable – to see whether a partnership can be struck between a private initiative and the GRN in order to deliver quality education to this community. There currently are a few schools like this in Namibia, but they are primarily seen as public schools, although heavily supported by private initiatives. These partnerships are very successful and deliver good results. The national rankings of these schools are always amongst the top performers in Namibia. The paper by Bangay and Latham (2013) further points out that the tendency to consider schooling either as private or public is counterproductive. What we have seen so far is that there generally is collaboration between the private school and the public school in

Oranjemund. The schools are supporting each other in many ways, like sharing sport fields, transport, costumes and venues for performances.

It would not help if we are looking for an affordable funding model for a private school, but the school remains so small that it is not viable or sustainable to manage. This fine balance will have to be established. On the other hand, the public school cannot be so overcrowded that it hampers the delivery of quality education.

3.7 CHAPTER SUMMARY

During the literature review, I became acutely aware of how the situation regarding education in Oranjemund is comparable and similar to other cases elsewhere in the world. It was really exciting to realise that I am able to answer the research question. Asking the question again: Is there space for private school education in a small rural Namibian town? Two answers immediately come to mind, and it is “No, unless…” or it is “Yes, but…”.

The literature review explains the different options in operation elsewhere in the world and speaks to the two answers above. There are very expensive private schools, private schools for the upper to middle classes, and then there are private schools for the poor. It was alarming to note the different needs these private school gave for being established. It was satisfying to see that parents with the correct intentions initiated many schools, but there are horror stories of schools being opened to gain access to government funding in which the education of the children was neglected. This mainly is happening in extremely poor and rural areas, where supervision and governance are not up to standard.

I argue that it is extremely important for the private school parents in Oranjemund to realise that, if they would want private school education for their children, they would need to become involved and rely less on the Mine to sustain the school. The “penny needs to drop” that the paternal care and provision by the Mine of all social needs is slowly going to be withdrawn and that the community will have to stand on its own. The sooner parents become involved in the future education of their children, the better the chances would be for the private school to survive sustainably beyond diamond mining.

Options are available, but the Mine cannot set up a private school again, as was done in the past. The Mine is aiming to assist and support the parents’ efforts to establish an independent private school. It needs to be registered and governed by the parents and members of the community.

CHAPTER FOUR

ANALYSIS OF RELEVANT POLICIES AND DIRECTIVES

4.1 INTRODUCTION

In this chapter, I will attempt to analyse the policies governing the processes at the private school and how these had an effect on the development of the households in the community. It is not that policies have no effects, they do; it is not that those effects are not significant, they are; it is not that those effects are not patterned, they are. In the analysis of complex issues – like policy – two theories are better than one, or to put it in another way, the complexity and scope of policy analysis – from an interest in the workings of the state to a concern with contexts of practice and the distributional outcomes of policy – precludes the possibility of successful single-theory explanations. What we need in policy analysis is a toolbox of diverse concepts and theories (Ball, 2006).

I argue that policies are interpreted differently depending on where one stands in relation to the policy and what one’s personal circumstances or gains are. Stephen Ball (2006:43) says that the challenge is to analytically relate the ad hocery of the macro with the ad hocery of the micro, without losing sight of the systematic bases and effects of ad hoc social actions; to look for the iterations embedded within chaos.

Policies from ‘above’ are not the only constraints and influences upon institutional practice. One difficulty in discussing effects is that the specific and the general are often conflated. The general effects of policies become evident when specific aspects of change and specific sets of responses (within practice) are brought into relation with each other (Ball, 1993).

I agree with Stephen Ball (1993:11) that policies have their own momentum inside the state – purposes and intentions are re-worked and re-orientated over time. He adds that the problems faced by the state change over time. This is exactly what has happened with the policies implemented by Namdeb and the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture (MoEAC).

Policy as text could be seen as representations that are encoded in complex ways (via struggles, compromises, authoritative public interpretations and reinterpretations), and decoded in complex ways (via actors’ interpretations and meanings in relation to their history, experiences, skills, resources and context) (Ball, 1993:11).

I can explain the interpretation and reinterpretation of policies in simple terms. The following example might suffice: After a match on a sports field, the supporters of the losing team would argue that it was a due to poor refereeing and the misinterpretation of the rules that their team lost and that it was a game not to remember. On the other hand, the supporters of the winning team would describe the game as a day to remember and that the interpretation of the rules by the referee was excellent.

While it is important to be aware of the fact that authors cannot control the meanings of their texts, policy authors make concerted efforts to assert such control by the means at their disposal to achieve a ‘correct’ reading, and some texts are formed by or have embedded in them the weight and measure or requirement. We need to understand those efforts and their effects on readers and to recognise the attention that readers pay to the writer’s context of production and communicative intent (Ball, 2006).

I agree with Stephen Ball (2006:44) that it is crucial to recognise that the policies themselves, the texts, are not necessarily clear or close to complete. The texts are the product of compromise at various stages. I argue that policies are sometimes understood by a reader to justify a personal argument, while forgetting the intent and context of the purpose of the policy as a whole. Arguments often arise over the interpretation of one word or sentence taken out of context. Ball (2006:46) further mentions that policies do not normally tell you what to do; they create circumstances in which the range of options available for deciding what to do are narrowed or changed, or particular goals or outcomes are set. Ball (2006) further argues that the enactment of text relies on things like commitment, understanding, capability, resources, practical limitations, co-operation and (importantly) inter-textual compatibility.

I would argue the authors who write policies and laws write them from a governance perspective but, as in Oranjemund, the community is receiving the policy and law and interpreting it from their perspective. It would thus be wise to study the policies and describe the policy as seen from the authors’ side, but very importantly, how the policy is received by the receivers.

The current policies governing the private school were analysed and their influence is described in this chapter by bearing the research question in mind, namely whether there is space for a private school in Oranjemund. The most relevant policies that have a direct impact on the private school have been identified.

The following Namdeb policies were analysed:

• PO-AS-04 Accommodation Policy, PR-AS-26 Accommodation Policy

• PR-ED-01 Education Policy

From the MoEAC, the following were analysed:

• Education Act 16 (2001)

• Education Act 2018 (Final Draft)

It is important to remember the discussion about hermeneutics in point 2.4.2 in Chapter 2. Policies are written from the point of view developed by the author (Namdeb). In trying to communicate the meaning of the policy to the reader (Namdeb employee), the employer compiles the policy from its frame of reference and motivation. The employee understands and interprets the policy as aimed at him from a receiver’s point of view.

As in all policy-related matters, the Mineworkers Union of Namibia (MUN) plays a role in the drafting, acceptance and implementation of the Namdeb policies and procedures. This should contribute to the harmonious introduction and application of policies. Each policy is discussed against this background. The influence it had on the development of the citizenry of the community of Oranjemund would thus become clearer. Each policy was written in conjunction with procedures that explain the implementation of the policy.

I examined and studied the policies influencing the decision-makers in this small society and attempt to explain how this community arrived at this point where the policies need to be revised. It is important to understand that past policies created today’s challenges, and this needs to be addressed in line with the latest developments regarding the proclamation of Oranjemund as a normal Namibian town.

Policies are written to provide guidance for the implementation of rules and regulations governing processes. The interpretation of these policies unfortunately leaves big discrepancies in the application of each of them. This has led to many frustrations and delays in the implementation thereof.

Further, the reason for the creation of or change in a policy could be questionable. For instance, in relation to the creation of a GRN subsidy and the accompanying policy, the reason was very clear: to assist the private schools in providing education (of a better standard) to all Namibians who could afford private school fees (Permanent Secretary Namibia Ministry of Education, 2014:1). The private schools could apply these policies with the correct governing principles in place, as they felt fit. With the change in the GRN subsidy policy to provide access to private school education, the question

could immediately be raised – is this a way to ‘hijack’ places in private schools where the GRN could not provide more places in public schools due to financial constraints?

On Namdeb’s side, in the introduction of and subsequent changes to the conditions of employment regarding the housing policy of Namdeb they provide a clear reason for these actions. However, they failed to anticipate and address the social challenges these changes to these policies would bring. The employees who are the receivers of the changed policy interpreted the policy as they saw fit according to their benefit. The impact of these changes is discussed under each of the following headings below: