Africa-Press – Namibia. MOST teachers at Walvis Bay were yesterday morning already busy placing pupils in classrooms.
A total of 1 343 Grade 1 pupils have been enrolled at the town, with 440 on a waiting list.
The directorate of education said it would rent rooms from Namsov and the local Methodist church to accommodate some pupils, whereas 10 more teachers will be allocated to the schools.
Some 1 460 pupils were promoted to Grade 8, 1 262 were placed, and 262 are on a waiting list.
A new school will soon be built at Narraville, and more information will be shared at a later stage.
Some parents were yesterday still waiting outside schools, with the Walvis Bay circuit office attempting to enrol more Grade 8s and Grade 10s.
These pupils were advised to wait until next week, as schools were still placing children and waiting for others to return to school.
The parents of pupils who have not been accommodated were yesterday urged to remain calm, while the matter is being resolved.
Despite these challenges, teachers were yesterday optimistic.
“Everything went smoothly. Pupils are safe in their classes. Everything is ready. Our motto for this year is just to be positive.
“Some parents are still roaming, but we are sorting out our pupils. They can return after 15 days and we will see,” Sandra Visagie, a teacher at Immanuel Ruiters Primary School, said.
Ada Shozi, a teacher at Duinesig High School, said: “We are doing fine. We are ready for our pupils.”
The principal of Kuisebmond Secondary School, Jonathan Maswahu, said the school was trying to make the most of the challenging situation.
“Our enrolment went up by about 130 pupils. Our 32 classrooms are now 35. Some teachers are rotating. We have too many combinations, and will struggle to come up with timetables. We will be ready to start by tomorrow.
“The library and staffroom have been turned into classrooms. We also have a problem with resources, but we will do our best,” he said.
Community activist August Bikeur yesterday observed the first school day’s activities at various schools.
“The mood at Kuiseb Primary school was tense at first as everyone was busy . . . Immanuel Ruiters school planned well, and pupils were settled early.
“Newcomers were a problem, but teachers were optimistic that they would be helped soon.
“Planning seems to be the biggest problem. We cannot blame the government. We should start here . . . It starts with all of us,” he said.
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