ONGWEDIVA - Close to eight schools in the Ohangwena region have overcrowded classrooms with 50 learners per class, while some are being taught in shacks. Some 330 pre-primary and grade one learners are still at home due to the insufficient number of teachers in the Ohangwena region.

This was revealed by the education director in the Ohangwena region, Isak Hamatwi, in an interview with New Era last week.

He stated that his region needs 39 teachers to enable the enrolment of those learners who are still at home. Learners in the lower grades are mostly affected, especially pre-grades to grade four.

Hamatwi said his office has allocated some of the teachers to a few schools, while some teaching vacancies have been released. But the situation remains unchanged.

“I also informed the office of the executive director regarding this matter so that it can be solved as soon as possible to enable children to enrol in classes,” he stressed.

Approached for comment, the executive director in the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture Sanet Steenkamp said early this year, her office had requested regional education directors to submit
the number of learners who are still at home, and also schools with crowded classrooms.

She added that her office is always engaging regional directors.

“Only some regions reported the learners who were still at home, but other regions didn’t experience any problem with learners’ enrolment,” she said.

Steenkamp said her office is still busy finding amicable solutions to this challenge.

She indicated that 723 teachers were recruited across the country, but she will still be going to discuss this challenge with the ministry of finance in order to recruit additional teachers.

Meanwhile, Steenkamp mentioned that 345 grade one learners still need to be placed in the Khomas region after they came from other regions.

Schools with many teachers will lead teachers to be re-assigned to schools with a shortage of teachers. 

She thus urged the regional director to provide accurate statistics to ensure correct planning in
 terms of allocating teachers accordingly. 

This year, during the familiarisation visit of education minister Anna Nghipondoka, the school inspector of the Ohangwena circuit Frieda
Kashikaku informed the minister that at the Nafidi Primary School, there are 42 learners still at home due to insufficient teachers. The Onghala Combined School has 49 learners, and the Ndilokelwa Combined School has 26 learners still at home. 

Nghipondoka visited various schools in the Ohangwena region to be familiar with the
 challenges faced by schools.

Also speaking to this publication was acting director in the Oshana region, Hilma Nuunyango, who said her region is doing well in terms of school enrolment. Her office didn’t receive any reports about learners still at home.

“This year, we opened two new schools in the Oshana region, starting with pre-grades. We also recruited 46 teachers in our region,” she noted.

-fthamalwa@nepc.com.an