NDIYONA – Learners at Ndiyona Combined School escaped unharmed after their hostel caught fire on Saturday, destroying infrastructure and their belongings.

The school hostel block, which was burned to the ground, accommodated 110 learners from grades 0 to 11.

“I was informed that learners were watching TV on Saturday, and the fire just started. They were puzzled and ran to see what they could save but later they all ran out for safety,’’ said Pelagi Mponda, head of department for the lower primary. 

“The challenge we are facing now is travelling to Linus Shashipapo Secondary School for cooking, and this is costly for the school and causing delays. It’s affecting our school schedule, and the learners are now eating late,” she said

Linus Shashipapo Secondary School, located 13 kilometres from Ndiyona Combined School, has stepped in to assist the school by delivering daily meals.“The matter is a bit under control when it comes to accommodating the learners who lost their accommodation block, as mattresses and blankets have been delivered, including tents to cater to them, the tents have already been erected. The learners who were accommodated in the damaged blocks are now being accommodated in tents,’’ Mponda said.

She further explained that the school has another dining hall that they are currently relying on to accommodate the learners.

“The school’s hostel is overcrowded, that’s why we have two dining halls, and the smaller one attached to the boys’ block is the one that got burned,” said the educator.

Mponda said the kitchen can work if the electrical part is repaired.

“The kitchen didn’t really get burned but the electrical component got damaged as the dining and the dormitories got burned, the kitchen section where we washed dishes and the office of the chief matron also got destroyed,’’ she said.

-jmuyamba@nepc.com.na