Giving back to make a difference

Michelline Nawatises



City of Windhoek junior mayor, Reschelle Beukes, who is a learner at Windhoek High School plans on providing a better learning environment for Mount View Secondary School learners, through a project she has launched in collaboration with Nust.

In partnership with stakeholders such as Neo Paints and Ohorongo Cement and many more, Beukes plans to kick-start the project that aims to provide as many container classrooms as possible for the learners, as they are currently being taught in tents.

“I am in awe that you have achieved what you have despite the circumstances, therefore I pledge to work hard to bring together donors to provide a structure in which you can receive you education, a structure that will keep you warm during winter, cool during summer and allow you to focus on learning,” she said.

Khomas education deputy director Paulus Lewin said education is an indispensable and long-term investment.

“The more we invest in the future of our children, the more we can withdraw from those banks of knowledge and the closer we come to attaining our country’s vision,’’ he said.

Mount View Secondary School, then known as Tobias Hainyeko Project School, was established on the 23 February 2015 by the Khomas education directorate.

This was the result of the high number of learners who could not be accommodated in the various schools around Windhoek. It now has a total capacity of 350 learners.

The school’s vision is to provide quality education, which can now be accomplished through the partnership with institutions of higher learning, such as NUST.

The school initially only had six grade 1 classes and three grade 8 classes, with 10 teachers serving under acting principal Brian Ndabeni.

The school uses army tents that serve as classrooms.

In 2016, the school was divided into primary and secondary school sections, each with their own respective principals. The secondary school was renamed and comprises of grades 8 to 11, with grade 12 to be introduced next year.

“There are other challenges as well, such as cold and hot weather conditions during winter and summer,” Ndabeni said.

“The fact that there was no structured office required me to transport official documents in the boot of my car on a daily basis throughout the year.”

Another challenge was the high rate of absenteeism, due to the fact that learners come to the school with empty stomachs.

The school then initiated a feeding programme and the absenteeism rate decreased.

Despite all the challenges, the teachers are committed and dedicated to their calling.

As a result, the school was ranked 14th out of 33 secondary schools in the Khomas Region.

Nust will assist Mount View by providing the school with tutors and inspirational speakers.

It will also assist with tutors for subjects like physical science, mathematics and English and provide 200 school uniforms and nutritional items to the value of N$2 000 per month.

The Nust partnership will be for the next 12 months.

Nust FM station manager Vivette Rittmann said Mount View’s story has touched them in an inexplicable manner. “Everybody was so inspired when they heard the story of Mount View,” she said.

Mount View pupil Tuhafeni Haimbodi expressed gratitude on behalf of her schoolmates.

“We highly appreciate the junior mayor for this initiative… with this you will make everything we as Mount View learners want to do possible,’’ she said.