The acting principal of Minna Sachs Primary School says registration contributions are meant to fund the school's daily operations, not to exclude any learner.

Viviaan Hangula's explanation comes after parents expressed fears about re-registration fees and delays in learner placements.

"It was actually a voluntary contribution we asked from parents," she said. "When we saw the contributions were very poor and weak, we decided to call a meeting and ask parents why we were not moving towards re-registration. That's why we came up with re-registration, now N$100 per child."

Hangula outlined discounts for larger families: N$300 for five children from one parent. For those with no income, the school offers flexibility to meet halfway, emphasising that education is a priority.

She also addressed placement delays, noting last year's intake of 1,288 learners strained small classes with a 35:1 junior primary teacher ratio.

"We decided not to go with 1,200 kids this year but rather 1,000. We will keep our old learners and put new ones on a waiting list until the 15th."

NBC News spoke to ||Kharas Governor Dawid Gertze about the concerns, who said, "The demand is high. Some parents are irritated, some are depressed, but there is hope—I always speak about hope. There are possibilities. We are in the process of opening Hendrik Tseib Primary School. It has not started yet, but they are enrolling kids at St Mathias at the moment. It will be a phased process with two streams: Khoe-Khoegowab and Afrikaans. But there is hope."