Hope rekindled at Linus Shashipapo
Hope has been finally been rekindled that Linus Shashipapo Secondary School, which is currently in a sorry state, will be renovated.
This comes after a tender to do major renovations at the school was recently advertised. Contractors also visited the school this week to evaluate the work to be done, before submitting their bids. The due date for bid submissions is 15 August. According to Kavango East education director Fanuel Kapapero this is a step in the right direction. Kapapero said once the school is renovated it will improve the situation, which is currently bad for teaching and learning. Kapapero hopes the tender does not get cancelled, as this is not the first time that government is planning to renovate the school, which is situated about 110 kilometres east of Rundu.
The project had been left hanging due to budget cuts. “Something is being done; we only pray that the tender will not be cancelled,” Kapapero said. Established in 1974, the school is one of the oldest in the Kavango East Region, and its infrastructure is in a sorry state.
Last November, Namibian Sun visited the school and observed how the classroom ceilings appear to be ready to collapse at any moment, while there are massive cracks in the walls. Roofing has also blown off and remains unrepaired since 2015. The school, which accommodates 630 learners, is also faced with an inadequate number of classrooms and teachers. The hostel has an unbearable smell. This is what the 480 hostel occupants have to endure on a daily basis. The teacher houses are in a dire state and health officials have declared them inhumane and unfit to live in. Linus Shashipapo Secondary School has a rich history, as a number of cabinet ministers, politicians and well-known businessmen and -women have been taught in its classrooms. The situation at the school led to learners holding a demonstration in January 2017. It was also reported that in 2015, surveyors visited the school and it was determined that government would have to fork out about N$150 million for renovations.
This amount was reduced in March 2018 to N$100 million, after surveyors removed some elements.
KENYA KAMBOWE
This comes after a tender to do major renovations at the school was recently advertised. Contractors also visited the school this week to evaluate the work to be done, before submitting their bids. The due date for bid submissions is 15 August. According to Kavango East education director Fanuel Kapapero this is a step in the right direction. Kapapero said once the school is renovated it will improve the situation, which is currently bad for teaching and learning. Kapapero hopes the tender does not get cancelled, as this is not the first time that government is planning to renovate the school, which is situated about 110 kilometres east of Rundu.
The project had been left hanging due to budget cuts. “Something is being done; we only pray that the tender will not be cancelled,” Kapapero said. Established in 1974, the school is one of the oldest in the Kavango East Region, and its infrastructure is in a sorry state.
Last November, Namibian Sun visited the school and observed how the classroom ceilings appear to be ready to collapse at any moment, while there are massive cracks in the walls. Roofing has also blown off and remains unrepaired since 2015. The school, which accommodates 630 learners, is also faced with an inadequate number of classrooms and teachers. The hostel has an unbearable smell. This is what the 480 hostel occupants have to endure on a daily basis. The teacher houses are in a dire state and health officials have declared them inhumane and unfit to live in. Linus Shashipapo Secondary School has a rich history, as a number of cabinet ministers, politicians and well-known businessmen and -women have been taught in its classrooms. The situation at the school led to learners holding a demonstration in January 2017. It was also reported that in 2015, surveyors visited the school and it was determined that government would have to fork out about N$150 million for renovations.
This amount was reduced in March 2018 to N$100 million, after surveyors removed some elements.
KENYA KAMBOWE
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article