Africa-Press – Namibia. PUPILS at Ashipala Secondary School at Elim in Omusati region are living in squalid conditions, with some sleeping in classrooms and corrugated iron sheet structures because of the unavailability of hostel accommodation.
PUPILS at Ashipala Secondary School at Elim in Omusati region are living in squalid conditions, with some sleeping in classrooms and corrugated iron sheet structures because of the unavailability of hostel accommodation.
The situation has seen parents of the nearly 700 pupils threaten to pull out their children from the school due to the non-availability of school hostels and poor sanitation.
Abner Neputa, the chairperson of the school board who is also a teacher there, this week said the pupils use portable toilets when nature calls.
He said 511 of the pupils stay in the ‘hostel’, while 181 are day pupils.
The toilets were allegedly acquired in 2020 from the regional directorate of education.
The Namibian was informed that when the toilets are full, with the help of the cleaners, the pupils move them (toilets) to a new spot and fill up the old hole with earth. The toilets were erected close to the hostels.
Neputa told The Namibian this week that parents will be marching tomorrow to express their discontent with the situation at the government school.
“We took up this matter as the school board. We first met with the school management and they are concerned. The principal has been asking for a response from the regional office […] We then visited the director [of education] and showed him the pictures. He promised to respond in two days, but he failed to do so,” Neputa said.
He said there is a bad smell from the dirty water and temporary toilets.
Neputa added that the government put out a tender to construct a school hostel some years ago but it was never awarded.
The school principal, Walde Iipinge, told The Namibian on Tuesday that the minister of education Anna Nghipondoka and the regional director of education Benny Eiseb are aware of the situation at the school.
“The minister was here with Obeth Kandjoze in 2020 during Covid-19. They saw the situation but they did not do anything. They only talk about quality education when they are in Windhoek,” Iipinge said.
He said the office of the inspector of education is also aware of the situation at Ashipala Secondary School.
According to him, eight classrooms at the school have been turned into a hostel.
Contacted for comment, Eiseb said the situation at the school has been like that since the school was established, and it was not designed as a boarding school.
The school was built over 40 years ago.
“The school never had a hostel; the community came up with the idea of having the hostel. If it was up to me, I would say, close down that so-called hostel. I don’t want to blame previous directors, but with the little we have, we cannot build a hostel there,” he said.
Eiseb said it is also the responsibility of parents and guardians to remove their children from the school because the ‘hostel’ is not safe.
PREGNANCIES RIFE
The director said the fact that there is no safe hostel at Ashipala Secondary School may be the cause of the high pregnancy rate at the school.
The principal said the school recorded seven pregnancies this year alone.
“I will engage my work inspectors and planning officials to discuss what we can do about the situation at that school,” Eiseb said.
Omusati chief regional officer Gervasius Kashindi yesterday told The Namibian that the regional council is aware of the situation at the school and that there is a budget provision for the upgrading of Ashipala Secondary School in the 2023/24 financial year.
Minister Nghipondoka asked The Namibian to call her later when approached for comment yesterday.
The situation has seen parents of the nearly 700 pupils threaten to pull out their children from the school due to the non-availability of school hostels and poor sanitation.
Abner Neputa, the chairperson of the school board who is also a teacher there, this week said the pupils use portable toilets when nature calls.
He said 511 of the pupils stay in the ‘hostel’, while 181 are day pupils.
The toilets were allegedly acquired in 2020 from the regional directorate of education.
The Namibian was informed that when the toilets are full, with the help of the cleaners, the pupils move them (toilets) to a new spot and fill up the old hole with earth. The toilets were erected close to the hostels.
Neputa told The Namibian this week that parents will be marching tomorrow to express their discontent with the situation at the government school.
“We took up this matter as the school board. We first met with the school management and they are concerned. The principal has been asking for a response from the regional office […] We then visited the director [of education] and showed him the pictures. He promised to respond in two days, but he failed to do so,” Neputa said.
He said there is a bad smell from the dirty water and temporary toilets.
Neputa added that the government put out a tender to construct a school hostel some years ago but it was never awarded.
The school principal, Walde Iipinge, told The Namibian on Tuesday that the minister of education Anna Nghipondoka and the regional director of education Benny Eiseb are aware of the situation at the school.
“The minister was here with Obeth Kandjoze in 2020 during Covid-19. They saw the situation but they did not do anything. They only talk about quality education when they are in Windhoek,” Iipinge said.
He said the office of the inspector of education is also aware of the situation at Ashipala Secondary School.
According to him, eight classrooms at the school have been turned into a hostel.
Contacted for comment, Eiseb said the situation at the school has been like that since the school was established, and it was not designed as a boarding school.
The school was built over 40 years ago.
“The school never had a hostel; the community came up with the idea of having the hostel. If it was up to me, I would say, close down that so-called hostel. I don’t want to blame previous directors, but with the little we have, we cannot build a hostel there,” he said.
Eiseb said it is also the responsibility of parents and guardians to remove their children from the school because the ‘hostel’ is not safe.
PREGNANCIES RIFE
The director said the fact that there is no safe hostel at Ashipala Secondary School may be the cause of the high pregnancy rate at the school.
The principal said the school recorded seven pregnancies this year alone.
“I will engage my work inspectors and planning officials to discuss what we can do about the situation at that school,” Eiseb said.
Omusati chief regional officer Gervasius Kashindi yesterday told The Namibian that the regional council is aware of the situation at the school and that there is a budget provision for the upgrading of Ashipala Secondary School in the 2023/24 financial year.
Minister Nghipondoka asked The Namibian to call her later when approached for comment yesterday.
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