600 children wait for just 64 places at Eluwa Special School

A six-year-old child with an intellectual impairment who joins the waiting list at Eluwa Resource School today could be 16 before securing a place. The school has 600 children on its waiting list and just 64 places for the 2027 academic year.

The decade-long wait could deprive children of crucial years of development, including opportunities to develop communication, self-care, social interaction and basic learning skills. Some may grow too old for admission, the school's principal has warned.

Eluwa principal Loide Shipopyeni told Namibian Sun recently that learners often remain at the institution throughout their school years, leaving few vacancies.

"Learners with intellectual impairment often stay at the same school for many years, sometimes their whole school career, because there is nowhere else for them to go," she explained.

"If only a handful of seats open each year, a child added to the waiting list today may wait five, eight or ten years. For most of those 600 families, the waiting list really means no place," Shipopyeni said.

She warned that children who wait at home do not simply start school later but start further behind, with gaps that are much harder to address at age 12 than at age six.

Shipopyeni said many children remain at home, sometimes alone or with grandparents, with little stimulation or interaction. Prolonged isolation increases their vulnerability to neglect, abuse and exploitation, she said.

The 64 places represent just 10.7% of the waiting list. Even if 64 children were admitted every year and no new applications were received, clearing the backlog would take about nine years and five months. In practice, waiting times depend on vacancies and admission priorities.

In January 2024, Eluwa received 346 applications but admitted only 64 children, leaving 282 without places, New Era reported at the time.

Koluumba Niironda Nangombe, then principal of the school's intellectual impairment section, appealed for more specialised schools, saying limited accommodation prevented children from accessing critical education and occupational therapy.

The education ministry has previously acknowledged the shortage, citing limited capital funding. Proposals were submitted for resource schools in six regions, while resource units at mainstream schools were considered as an alternative.

 Not just Eluwa

The shortage is not unique to Eluwa. Across the country, children with a range of disabilities are competing for a handful of specialised places, while the teachers who serve them work with scarce resources and little recognition.

In January, The Namibian reported that Môreson Resource School in Windhoek had more than 400 children waiting for admission while accommodating 214 learners. Together, the two waiting lists add up to more than 1 000 applications, although duplication between schools cannot be ruled out.

The Namibia Statistics Agency's 2023 census recorded 8 142 children aged five to nine with severe difficulties in at least one functional domain, alongside 7 588 aged 10 to 14 and 6 657 aged 15 to 19.

The Namibia Statistics Agency’s 2023 census recorded 22 387 young people aged five to 19 with severe difficulties in at least one functional area: 8 142 aged five to nine, 7 588 aged 10 to 14 and 6 657 aged 15 to 19. The difficulties involve sight, hearing, mobility, communication, remembering or concentrating, and self-care. The figures cover disabilities beyond intellectual impairment and cannot show how many children need specialised school places.

The cost of a lack of support

Shipopyeni wants better data collection to determine the number of children needing specialised education, teachers and support services in Namibia.

She and others have called for additional classrooms, hostel accommodation, specialised teaching equipment and continuous teacher development. She also wants community-based day-care centres to support children awaiting admission.

Teachers also face considerable demands, she said. Some learners are non-verbal, requiring staff to interpret gestures and behaviour, while much of the school day involves assisting with hygiene and personal care.

"Specialised teaching aids, sensory equipment, adapted books and assistive devices are scarce, so teachers improvise and often buy or make materials themselves. The work is intense, progress is slow and hard to see, and burnout is common," she said.

Seeing the child, not the disability

Despite these difficulties, teamwork helps staff cope.

"We share ideas, cover for each other during hard moments, and celebrate together. No one carries the load alone, from the principal down to the supporting staff," Shipopyeni said.

Achievements that appear ordinary elsewhere can take months of dedicated instruction at Eluwa.

"When a learner says their name for the first time, uses the toilet independently, buttons their own shirt, or reads a simple word after months of practice, the whole staff celebrates. Our learners are honest, affectionate and joyful. They greet us with hugs and smiles," she said.

She said one of her greatest rewards is seeing parents who once concealed their children's disabilities become proud of their achievements.

"All children are a gift from our creator. Your child is not a burden, a punishment, or a cause for shame. They may learn differently and more slowly, but they do learn, they do grow, and they deserve the same love, dignity and opportunities as any other child," she said.