Hilma Hashange
Lawmaker Willem Amutenya has donated 30 pairs of school shoes to learners at Kandume Combined School in the Omuthiya constituency in the Oshikoto region.
The school was identified by Omuthiya councillor Erastus Nekomba, as one of the most rural schools in the constituency with a high number of learners from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Amutenya and Nekomba, both former teachers by profession from the Oshikoto region, found it fit to give back to the vulnerable learners, who they referred to as the future leaders.
According to Amutenya, he started his schooling career at Iihongo Combined School in Onyaanya, noting that he too knows very well the hardships that come along with schooling at a rural school.
He further went on to study education at the University of Namibia and returned to Oshikoto to begin his teaching career.
“A long time ago, parents had to send learners to school with N$1 to contribute to the coffers so that learners who proceed to university would benefit from these funds. I can proudly say that I am one of those beneficiaries. Our tuition fees were fully paid up because of that N$1,” said Amutenya.
While addressing the learners and teachers, Amutenya motivated the grade 11 learners to study hard this year and make their parents and teachers proud.
“When you are retired and when your teachers retire, this school will still need teachers. The geologists, the police officers and even the medical doctors are among you, therefore, take your education seriously,” he urged the learners.
He also informed the parents to enrol their learners in school and urged them to refrain from allocating them too many house chores that would inhibit them from studying.
Echoing Amutenya’s sentiments, Nekomba said he will continue to seek support for the education sector.
“Education should stand on three legs, which are the learners, teachers and parents. I do not want to hear a case where a parent comes to school because a child was reprimanded by a teacher because of a minor incident; you can send that parent to my office for counselling if need be,” said Nekomba, adding that a number of parents and learners came to his office crying because they did not get placement this year.
Established in 1992, the school currently has over 1 000 learners enrolled from grade 0 to grade 11. It is in Okambuga village in the Omuthiya constituency and has 41 teachers.
Speaking during the handover ceremony, school principal Emma Angula said the school has a community hostel with a capacity of 64 learners. She said since the hostel was recently subsidised by the government, hostel fees have now decreased from N$400 to N$200. She, however, stated that the hostel is in dire need of cupboards, an extra water tanker and a kitchen to serve its full purpose.
Angula said although the learners’ pass rate improved from 52% to 72% in 2025, she outlined a major hiccup which impedes learners from attending school 100%. “During the rainy season, the road leading to school is submerged by water, forcing learners and teachers to take longer routes. During the dry season, we drive for about 17 kilometres to fetch water from the nearest water reservoir in Omuthiya. It is very difficult to provide sufficient water to learners; hence the request for an additional water tanker to be supplied to the community hostel,” said the principal.
*Hilma Hashange is an Information Officer at MICT in Oshikoto.