School building in tatters

Community members who are disgusted by the state of the school say they want answers from the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture as to why the school is not being moved to the new premises being built since 2013. “We are so disgusted by the look of that school, there are no windows, there is no electricity and the walls are filthy. We were expecting the school to move to the new premises two years ago, but till today the learners have to suffer in those terrible conditions,” a resident said. Namibian Sun visited the school and it was true that most classrooms had broken windows and vandalised walls. The school, which offers classes from grade 8 to 10, enrolled 345 learners this year and has 18 qualified teachers. The principal, Immanuel Nepela, said the community had the right to complain, but there was nothing he could do, as it was the Oshana Education Directorate’s responsibility to say why the school had not moved to the new premises yet. According to the acting education director, Immanuel Aipanda, the contractor who built the new school could not finish the job. Aipanda said the Ministry of Works and Transport was instructed to find a replacement contractor to finish the project. He could not say how long it would take before the school could move into the new buildings though. “We are aware of what’s going on and we are fast-tracking the situation,” he said. On July 19, 2012, WDL and Uukumwe Construction was given the N$39 million tender to build the new school, which was supposed to have been completed by March 17, 2014. It is believed that the contractor ran out of funds to complete the job. According to Afshani & Afshani Architects there is still a lot to be done before the school can be opened. It is understood that a sewerage system and interlock paving need to be installed. Despite numerous challenges the Ongwediva Junior Secondary School’s performance in grade 10 examinations has been remarkable. Out of 90 learners who sat for the Junior Senior Certificate (JSC) national examinations last year, only 12 did not make it to grade 11. Nepela said even though the school had a good academic record, the challenge of getting the best learners from primary schools remained, as parents preferred taking their children to schools with good infrastructure. KENYA KAMBOWE