By John Muyamba
RUNDU – Over 300 grade 1, 8, 10 and 11 learners in Rundu are without school placement a week after schools reopened.
An education official for Kavango West and East revealed this in an interview on Wednesday.
The Ministry of Education in the two Kavango regions through the newly appointed regional director of education, Mathaus Nauyoma, requested all those that are not yet placed to report to the Dr Romanus Kampungu school hall for possible placement.
But for the first graders the regional director requested the schools to send him a list of the number of learners seeking Grade 1 placement by Friday and on Monday they will see how to place them or handle the situation otherwise.
“Once we have done that we will be able to tell what are our needs are in regard to classrooms, teachers, chairs, tables as well as books and other stationery,” narrated the education director.
Grade 1 placement is the biggest challenge especially at Kehemu Primary School and Sauyemwa JP, according to the education director.
“We still have a small number that still have to be placed. Looking at the information we have for last year all Grade 1s were placed before December but then again some of them surfaced only this year seeking placement as their parents never made arrangements last year and that is one of the problems we are facing. Parents should have applied to secure places for their children and that could have made placement easier,” Nauyoma said.
On the issue of junior and senior secondary learners, Nauyoma said there are 132 Grade 8s, 24 Grade 11s and 27 Grade 10 repeaters that still need placement in Rundu.
“The number might not be accurate because some may have been placed already at another school and might come back to us again and say he or she is not placed because they simply want to be in a different school or some have moved to Rundu because their parents have been transferred here and thus need space at a school in Rundu,” he said.
Through the local radio he requested all those in need of placement to go to Dr Romanus Kampungu to see how the directorate could place them.
On the situation at Kaisosi Combined School regarding Grade 10 learners stranded with no available classrooms at the school, he said they resolved the crisis by introducing Grade 10.
In the meantime the school will use tents as temporary classrooms and chairs and stationery are being delivered while the school appoints new teachers for Grade 10 learners.
“Our schools are overcrowded, we have now moved to 45 and above learners in a class and we can only tell after 15 days because it will give us a clear picture of the actual need for classrooms, teachers and chairs together with desks and other needs,” said Nauyoma.