86 learners to benefit after education officials step in

Education authorities have intervened in the admissions dispute at Moses //Garoëb Primary School in Windhoek, announcing that all 86 pre-primary children at the centre of the standoff will be accommodated and that two new Khoekhoegowab classes will be opened.

The development follows days of tension at the school, where parents had gathered demanding the placement of children who they said had been left out due to space constraints and language-stream imbalances.

Three senior officials, Circuit 5 inspector John Cline, regional inspector Catherine Vries, and deputy director of education for the Khomas Region, Hoster Simasiku, attended to the matter at the school last week.

Addressing parents and community members, Simasiku confirmed that all affected learners would be enrolled. “All 86 children will be accommodated in pre-primary,” he announced.

He assured the community that language and cultural inclusion remain a priority for the ministry. “All Namibian children’s backgrounds and mother tongues are valued,” Simasiku said.

Two new classes

Activist Shaun Gariseb confirmed that the school has established two new Khoekhoegowab pre-primary classes to accommodate the learners.

The regional office said classroom furniture, including chairs and desks, would be arranged within two days to ensure the classes are fully operational. Two Khoekhoegowab-speaking teachers have also been assigned to the new classes.

Registration of the 86 children began immediately after the announcement, with parents queuing at the school to complete the enrolment process.

The intervention comes after Gariseb raised concerns that additional Oshindonga classes had allegedly been created while Khoekhoegowab-speaking children remained without placement.

In a letter dated 2 February and addressed to the Khomas regional education director, Gariseb described the situation as urgent, citing classroom shortages and the exclusion of children from a predominantly Khoekhoegowab-speaking community.