Rundu: Money first, exams second

Poverty has led to some parents in Rundu’s informal settlements overlooking their children’s education as they force them to sell eggs, fruit and vegetables on street corners to earn a living – instead of studying for their exams.

With schools concluding their final examinations, young boys and girls can be seen spending afternoons and evenings hard at work trying to sell goods, often provided by relatives.

These children walk the streets of Rundu with buckets full of tomatoes and onions or trays of eggs, a sight which has become common.

The youngsters are unafraid to venture into shebeens, determined to sell out their stock.

A few days ago, Namibian Sun encountered a girl selling mangoes at around 22:00. Asked why she was not home and whether she had studied for her exams, she said she can only go home if she sells all her wares.

“I must sell everything before I can go home. I studied at school.”

She is just one of the many children who have been turned into hawkers by their relatives in order to make money for their families.

Others whose parents are unable to give them stock to sell are often spotted in front of shops, begging for coins.

The situation is so dire that the hawking children walk up to five kilometres to sell their goods, risking their lives and becoming soft targets for criminals.

Stop it

In an interview with Namibian Sun this week, Kavango East education director Fanuel Kapapero admitted that he too has seen children roaming the streets, and questioned whether their parents are ensuring their education.

It is painful to see children hawking, especially during exam time, he said.

“I think this is coming from the parents. It is the parents who are sending their kids to go and sell these items. I think all I can say is that the parents must stop this henceforth.

“They must immediately stop forcing children to sell items, especially during exam time,” Kapapero said.

“We have seen them walking and roaming around with baskets [with] eggs, apples and bananas. I think we need to educate the parents to allow their kids time to study and when they write their examinations, they should be fresh. Because when they walk around, they get tired. It is the parents who should come in and stop sending their kids to sell items,” he fumed.

'Nobody's cares'

With education being compulsory in the country from ages six to 16, Kapapero said it’s high time law enforcement agencies assist the community to ensure that children do not roam the streets but rather attend school or study at home.

“We say education is compulsory, but if you see here, children as young as eight can decide they don’t want to go to school and that’s it.

“Nobody cares. I suggest that the law enforcement agencies should come in and assist,” Kapapero said.

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