Africa-Press – Namibia. The education crisis in the Kunene Region deepens, with a recent report indicating declining conditions of several school hostels and an increasing number of shack classrooms at some schools.
Overcrowding has compelled some schools to use shacks and tents as classrooms to manage the rising enrolment numbers, while congestion in some hostels continues to reach alarming levels.
The report released by the regional education directorate this week indicates that five schools still hold classes in shacks. These are, Katutura Primary School with two shacks and a backlog of four classrooms, KM Maundu Primary School needing four classrooms to replace one shack and four tents, and Okondaunue Combined School with nine shacks and a backlog of four permanent classrooms.
Kameru Combined also utilises shacks to hold lessons, and Etoto West Primary School is facing a backlog of four classrooms, with a contractor on-site for the construction of two pre-primary classrooms.
The report further highlighted that at least four out of nine state hostels are facing challenges related to overcrowding, while however noting that significant renovations are underway at nine state hostels in the region.
The Okangwati Combined School hostel, designed for 75 learners (both boys and girls), accommodates 213 boys and 203 girls, while Orumana Combined School, with a capacity of 272 learners (for both genders), now serves 397 boys and 390 girls.
Abraham Gariseb Primary School has exceeded its total capacity of 150, with 263 boys and 208 girls now accommodated.
Currently, the region has 21 state hostels, 33 private subsidised hostels, and 33 subsidised hostels.
In the report, Kunene Regional Education Director Sofia Fredericks said the region should be treated differently, particularly in allowing schools to accommodate more learners in their hostels, emphasising that being in a hostel is not a privilege in Kunene, but a necessity.
“For Kunene, it’s not about hostels being a privilege; it should be a right, as hostels are the most reliable way to keep these children close and provide access to education,” she remarked.
Fredericks also acknowledged the government’s support in helping the region tackle the challenges affecting education, emphasising that several key capital projects are currently under construction in the region.
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