Auleria Wakudumo
Primary school learners in Opuwo skip classes to rummage through a dumping site in search of food, clothes, materials to repair their homes, and anything else of value that they can sell.
Schools that are mostly affected are those in proximity Opuwo’s dumping site, where teachers are struggling to control learners who have internalised the dumpsite schedule.
Such learners target days when large retailers dump their waste.
To accommodate all learners, the school has learners who attend classes in the morning, while a second shift starts in the afternoon.
As a result, many afternoon learners spend their mornings scavenging on the dumpsite, while some morning learners simply skip school entirely.
“Scavenging through the dumpsite is one of the desperate choices that most primary learners took because they face severe hardship at home,” said one of the teachers.
Despite the implementation of a feeding programme, reports of learners skipping classes to scavenge persist.
This ongoing issue is attributed not only to the need for food but also the search for other essentials, as parents allegedly insist that engaging their children in the scavenging would maximise their chances of finding more food and other valuables.
The schools revealed that the harsh realities of poverty compel parents to compromise their children’s education and well-being.
It is also alleged that parents forcefully take their children along to the dumping site.
One of the affected schools is the local Katutura Project School.
Principal Kaipangurirue Ndumbu said she engaged with parents whose children skip school for dump days, but she was informed that children are hungry, and that there is no food available at home.
The school is a stone’s throw from the dumpsite.
“When children are hungry, their academic performance, concentration and overall well-being suffer, leading to a host of negative outcomes both in the classroom and beyond,” the principal said.