UTUSEB – The principal of J.P. Brand Primary School in Utuseb, Anna Josti, says the school requires financial and material assistance to rebuild their hostel matron’s living quarters and also replace all books and supplies meant for pupils that were destroyed during a fire on Thursday evening.
New Era visited the school on Friday morning, and found teachers and pupils still traumatised by the fire.
J.P. Brand Primary School has an enrolment of more than 280 pupils from Grade One to Grade Seven. It is the only school that serves the Topnaar community of Utuseb, which is situated about 50 kilometres from Walvis Bay in the Erongo region.
Describing the incident as a massive setback, Josti said she initially thought the children were fighting, but was horrified to be told that the school was on fire. Staff members, including a matron, quickly mobilised to contain the fire and ensure the safety of the children.
“We managed to get them out and saved some of the mattresses, but the fire had already caused a lot of damage by then. We still do not know what caused the fire, but we are thankful that no one was injured,” she said. Josti noted that they are in the process of replacing some of the old infrastructure at the school, as many of these buildings are wooden structures and are highly flammable.
“This fire has set us back, but our priority is to we normalcy and ensure the safety of our learners. Hence, we need immediate assistance to repair the damaged infrastructure and prevent such incidents in the future,” she said.
A social worker is expected to visit the school this week to help the pupils deal with the incident. The school is also tasked with assessing the overall situation and determining how the fire impacts the school.
“At the moment, we really need the assistance of the business community and residents to rebuild the structures, and help us replace the books and some school uniforms that were also burnt during the fire,” she added.