Windhoek
Although construction of the N$120 million state-of-the-art Otjomuise Vision School is complete it is not yet known when the school will open its doors as it still has no electricity supply from the municipality.
The site manager Lee Li Hui said everything is complete but they are just waiting for the City of Windhoek to provide them with electricity and are currently using generators. During a New Era visit to the school this week Lee said they are busy with routine maintenance.
“We are checking if everything is working and if there is anything that needs to be corrected or cleaned. The Namibian government wants to have a handover ceremony in March,” said Lee.
Lee added that the school staff also need to be trained to use the facilities such as the projectors, audio systems and electrical system, among others, by technicians from the firm involved in the construction.
The N$120 million school will cater for Grade 8 to Grade 12 and has the capacity to accommodate 800 pupils.
Learners from Jan Mohr Project School will move to the new premises upon its handover to government. According to the Ministry Education, Arts and Culture spokesperson Johanna Absalom some modification still needs to be done before the electricity is connected. “The three parties are on site and are busy with the modification to ensure that the school is connected to the electricity grid,” she said upon inquiry.
Absalom said the final inspection of the school building, such as classrooms, administration block and multi-purpose hall, was done last week to determine its readiness for occupation. “The contractor and sub-contractors are on site to ensure that all outstanding construction work would be fully completed,” she said.
“The ministry will inform you accordingly on when the school will officially open,” Absalom responded when asked when the school would open its doors. When asked about the electricity connection to the school, the Windhoek Municipality’s manager for corporate communication Joshua Amukugo said: “The contractor or engineering representative should apply for power connection from the electricity department, and it will be dealt with accordingly. However if it is already existing and doesn’t have electricity, then the school or its donor/or representative, must apply for electricity through a registered electrical contractor and again be dealt with accordingly.”
The school’s construction started in November 2014. It is is equipped with classrooms, sports facilities, a multi-purpose hall, caretaker’s house, a three-storey hostel for boys and girls and housing for teachers, among others.