Community-built school struggles as govt assistance falls short

Concerned residents at Tuhingireni informal settlement on the outskirts of Rundu in the Kavango East Region have voiced their frustrations over government&#039;s alleged lack of assistance to the community-built school constructed by 18 qualified teachers to address a critical shortage of classrooms for learners in the area.Last year, Namibian Sun reported that 18 qualified teachers who had struggled to find jobs took matters into their own hands and constructed a makeshift school in their area.Despite their commendable efforts, the school finds itself struggling to meet the basic requirements necessary for a functional educational institution.Pleas ignored In a letter addressed to community activist Michael Amushelelo, concerned residents said the school was established with the purpose of helping learners who could not be accommodated in government schools due to long walking distances and overcrowding.“The community has been longing for a school for quite some time due to the high increase in inhabitants in the community. Despite the efforts of the teachers, we have observed that the school tried to engage with the ministry of education and other stakeholders concerning the project school, but their cries have landed on deaf ears," the letter noted.“During the 2023 academic year, the school received more than 200 learners from grades zero to eight. The governor, educational director, inspector, mayor and councillor of the Kavango East Region were all informed. We had seen all of them visiting the area and [they saw] the learners and the condition they were in,” the letter read.“Since then, they haven’t given any positive response or provided assistance of any kind to the learners. All they gave was negative criticism and forced learners to move out of the area while the school had a high number of learners."Filling a gapLast year, Namibian Sun reported about the 18 teachers from Rundu and their initiative to open a school in their neighbourhood to ease government’s headache of overcrowded classrooms.According to a spokesperson for the teachers, Jesaya Sindimba, the idea for Tuhingireni-Cuma was born in December 2022 during a meeting when a number of youth raised ideas on how they could create their own jobs and meet government halfway.Sindimba said they pitched the idea to various leaders in the region, which saw them acquire a piece of land via donation from a couple who sacrificed their crop field to the determined group.He said the school is still in need of infrastructure building materials, teaching and learning resources, furniture, toilets and water, as well as fencing material.Sindimba said he also held a meeting with Kavango East education director Fanuel Kapapero to receive guidance on how to get the school recognised by the state.The acting education director in the Kavango East Region, Christine Shilima, could not be reached for comment at the time of publication.Nikanor@erongo.com.na

Community-built school struggles as govt assistance falls short

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-07

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Community-built school struggles as govt assistance falls short

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-07

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