A small school with big plans

"We want to give as many children as possible the opportunity to be part of our extracurricular activities. The school fees we request make it impossible for many people to send their children to our school, which is why our extramural activities like the robotics class are open to any child who is interested," said Lucy Hooft, chairperson of the board of the Blue School in Lüderitz.

The school, which currently has 16 students, opened its doors in January of this year.

"We moved to Lüderitz as a family with three young children. My husband, Daniel, is the CEO of Kelp Blue, and Lüderitz is the best place in the world for giant seaweed to grow. There was no school here that offered the curriculum our children were accustomed to. We wanted to ensure that they received the same standard of education in case the seaweed didn't grow and we had to move again,” she said.

An idea into reality

The family took matters into their own hands to maintain their children's education at the standard they were accustomed to.

"We realised that there are more people in the same situation as us. People who have to send their children to other schools and hostels or who don't consider moving to Lüderitz due to the school issue. That's where the idea started, and now we want to become the best small school with the best hostel in the region."

The Blue School is a private school with an international curriculum and a strong academic focus. They also have a strong environmental focus, especially on the unique environment around and in Lüderitz and ocean literacy. "We also place a strong emphasis on our extracurricular activities because there were very few options for children after school. The schools close at 13:00, and then there's nothing more for the children to do. Among other things, we offer robotics, Lego, astronomy, arts and crafts, cooking, and sign language. Many of these classes are open to children who are not enrolled in our school but are interested."

Scholarship

"We want to provide more children with the opportunity to benefit from our school and curriculum. That's why we've said from the beginning that 20% of the students should be scholarship students. We currently have two and are looking for the third child.

"Through the scholarships, the school ensures once again that it is not just for privileged children who already have more advantages in life, but that any child who can benefit from the school has the opportunity to join us."

Private donors currently fund the scholarships for the two children.

The Kelp Forest Foundation covers many of the extracurricular activities, especially the robotics laboratory and ocean day.

"They are very interested in developing Lüderitz as a community so that it's not just about the growth of giant seaweed, but about how it can be beneficial for Lüderitz that seaweed does grow here."

The future

The school currently offers classes from grades 1 to 6, but grade 7 will be added next year, and ultimately, classes up to grade 12 will be offered.

"We need to grow with our students, and we now have a few children who need to move on to grade 7 next year. We can't send them away, so we have to expand. We also hope to open a hostel next year. This way, we can accommodate and educate children from the entire region, country and even internationally. Here at the school, we offer an international curriculum at a fraction of the cost compared to, for example, a school and boarding house in England, and on top of that, it's in a stunning location."

The building that currently houses the Blue School has always been a school. It was the German school for years, where not only children from Lüderitz but from the entire region attended. Just above the school are two large boarding houses that have not been used for a while.