Julina Kaakunga
Recognising that every individual has their own learning style and strengths, the Eros Girls’ School in Windhoek adopts an inclusive approach to education, ensuring that all learners receive the support they need to succeed.
Simply put, the school serves female learners who might struggle academically or who perform poorly in the mainstream education system.
The curriculum at the school is designed to be both comprehensive and practical, equipping learners with the skills and knowledge necessary for success in their chosen fields. From hands-on training in cosmetology to theoretical studies in education and hospitality, the courses offered by the institution are tailored to meet the diverse needs and interests of its learners.
For Mellissa Simataa, the Eros Girls’ School is perfect for her because she had poor performances in subjects such as history, accounting, and geography.
Now head girl of the school, where she is doing Hospitality and Tourism Level 1, she said she took a liking to the school while still at Sunshine Private School across the road.
I used to school next door, and I would see the girls here leaving in chefs’ uniforms, some in business assistant uniforms, others in educare uniforms and cosmetology uniforms which looked like nurses. All these caught my attention, and I made some enquiries and then this became my school. It was the best above the rest,” she said with a smile.
Simataa’s parents told her it was a privilege for her to be at the school, as it has been quite a journey as she is now the first trained chef the family has.
“This school has really changed my life. I never dreamt I could one day wear a chef uniform or become a head girl, because when I arrived here, I was very quiet, but now I can stand on the podium and deliver a speech or an announcement. I’m confident enough.”
Also loving Eros Girls’ School is teacher Nomlinda Steyn.
“I love it here. I used to have about 65 kids in a class in the mainstream, whereby you would notice that a child is not progressing well, and then when I got here I started understanding that children can have learning difficulties,” she said.
Steyn, who has been a teacher for 12 years – the last two being at Eros, noted that the public sometimes reduces a learner’s poor performances to lack of studies and not understanding what the child could be facing.
“Some of our parents do not know that a child might be dyslexic, so they just expect kids to know. It’s not always that the child is lazy, sometimes they are also suffering in silence knowing that ‘I can’t read in grade 8’. So, as a parent, you should be able to understand and look beyond, what might be on the table, maybe your child has a more serious problem,” she advised.
“There are parents who send their children to Eros Girls’ because the child refuses to go to the mainstream, thinking the child can just come and do practicals. Thus, if a child is passing in the mainstream, we will not admit that child here,” she stated.
The school does not take in large numbers of learners, as they would like to give proper attention to each learner. They also provide Open Days, where they call parents to educate them about their children’s difficulties, so that they may understand their children better.
“Parents should also understand that not everybody is going to become a lawyer, nurse and so forth. The lawyers also need somebody to do their makeup, the lawyers also need to eat in restaurants, so those are the basic things that our girls would be able to cover,” she explained.
Steyn clarified that the school is not for mentally challenged children, but rather those with learning difficulties and who do not thrive in the mainstream schools.
“The teachers here make so much effort to help a child, and that is why you will notice that a child that has been failing in the mainstream is beginning to pass here.”
Principal Emilie Haipinge is proud that many of the learners have gone on to pursue jobs. One of them is now a teacher at Namcol for Early Childhood Development – a course that the school also offers.
Another former learner is an education officer at NUST, while others have started their own businesses.
She urged the public to appreciate what the girls do as well as not to label them.
“Our girls are smart, our girls are gifted, our girls can do many things that people don’t know. They can visit us and see what our girls are doing. Come and do your hair with us and see what they can do or do your catering with us. They really do the best jobs,” she encouraged.
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