Siguruguru: From scratch to construction tenders
Informal school comes full circle
Founded in 2020, the school currently employs 15 teachers and has a learner complement of 826.
What started as an informal school in 2020 where seven qualified teachers volunteered to educate over 300 learners in corrugated iron structures or under trees has come full circle, with the education ministry this week advertising tenders for the construction of permanent structures at Siguruguru Primary School.
The school is situated on the outskirts of Rundu in the Tumweneni informal settlement, which is home to thousands of landless people who necessitated its establishment. This as the majority - if not all - public schools in the riverside town are faced with overcrowded classrooms.
Siguruguru Primary School currently has 15 permanently employed teachers and for the current academic year, 826 learners have been enrolled.
The ministry this week called for tenders for the construction of ablution facilities, an administration block and several classroom blocks at the school.
Difficult road
The journey has not been an easy one, as learners and teachers endured and continue to endure the difficult teaching and learning environment.
Since 2020, Namibian Sun has extensively reported on the challenges the school has faced, which included a lack of furniture, learning and teaching materials and ablution facilities. Teachers and learners have had to turn to the nearby bushes when nature calls, risking their lives to snakes and other wildlife.
Some lessons took place in makeshift structures, while others were taught under trees.
During the rainy season, classes were interrupted as the loud drone of rain on the corrugated iron drowned out teachers’ voices and some of the structures started leaking.
In the winter, teachers and learners faced extreme temperatures in the uninsulated classrooms.
Here and there, members of the public reacted to media publications about the school, which saw Good Samaritans visit and donate what they could.
Currently, lessons take place in tents availed by the Kavango East regional council.
However, it was the determination of the teachers who did not give up on their learners that resulted in the latest development, which will see the school boast its own permanent structures later this year.
‘We can’t wait’
A Siguruguru Primary School teacher – who preferred anonymity - yesterday said they are excited for construction to begin.
“I saw the advert and we cannot wait for the construction to commence because we suffered a lot. Like right now, we have to set up the tents nearly every day because the heavy rains and the wind puts the tents down.”
Kavango East education director Fanuel Kapapero confirmed the planned construction, and said the region needs more schools to be constructed to address the issue of overcrowded classrooms, which partly contributes to learners not performing well.
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The school is situated on the outskirts of Rundu in the Tumweneni informal settlement, which is home to thousands of landless people who necessitated its establishment. This as the majority - if not all - public schools in the riverside town are faced with overcrowded classrooms.
Siguruguru Primary School currently has 15 permanently employed teachers and for the current academic year, 826 learners have been enrolled.
The ministry this week called for tenders for the construction of ablution facilities, an administration block and several classroom blocks at the school.
Difficult road
The journey has not been an easy one, as learners and teachers endured and continue to endure the difficult teaching and learning environment.
Since 2020, Namibian Sun has extensively reported on the challenges the school has faced, which included a lack of furniture, learning and teaching materials and ablution facilities. Teachers and learners have had to turn to the nearby bushes when nature calls, risking their lives to snakes and other wildlife.
Some lessons took place in makeshift structures, while others were taught under trees.
During the rainy season, classes were interrupted as the loud drone of rain on the corrugated iron drowned out teachers’ voices and some of the structures started leaking.
In the winter, teachers and learners faced extreme temperatures in the uninsulated classrooms.
Here and there, members of the public reacted to media publications about the school, which saw Good Samaritans visit and donate what they could.
Currently, lessons take place in tents availed by the Kavango East regional council.
However, it was the determination of the teachers who did not give up on their learners that resulted in the latest development, which will see the school boast its own permanent structures later this year.
‘We can’t wait’
A Siguruguru Primary School teacher – who preferred anonymity - yesterday said they are excited for construction to begin.
“I saw the advert and we cannot wait for the construction to commence because we suffered a lot. Like right now, we have to set up the tents nearly every day because the heavy rains and the wind puts the tents down.”
Kavango East education director Fanuel Kapapero confirmed the planned construction, and said the region needs more schools to be constructed to address the issue of overcrowded classrooms, which partly contributes to learners not performing well.
[email protected]
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