Abraham Mwanyekange
OLUKONDA – Oshanamutango Primary School in Onakiidhi-B village in the Olukonda constituency of the Oshikoto region has not been operational since 2018, owing to low learner enrolments, which has alarmed community leaders and residents.
Enrolment numbers fell below the minimum requirement of 50 learners, and the school was closed by the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture’s Oshikoto directorate. Speaking at Namibia’s Independence Day celebrations held in the school premises last week, former Olukonda constituency councillor, Phillemon Ndjabula, appealed for an urgent investigation into why the school was closed. Ndjabula said that, before he left office, community members had approached the Olukonda constituency office with a request to use the same school infrastructure to set up a vocational training centre and that they even submitted applications for this purpose to the ministry.
“After leaving the office, I have never received a response from the Oshikoto regional education director on that,” he said.
He said that all relevant and appropriate documents, along with the proposals, were duly handed over to maintain continuity under the current constituency leadership.
The incumbent, Olukonda constituency councillor Mathias Zambia Shafooli, says his office has since been in correspondence with the Oshikoto Governor’s Office requesting for authorisation to use the unutilised structures.
“If approval is granted, we are ready to establish a police station, as there is currently none in our constituency,” Shafooli said.
Oshikoto regional director of education, Hilma Nuunyango-George, explained that the ministry can only reopen a school if it meets the minimum requirement of at least 50 learners.
“We do not close schools arbitrarily. Consultations are conducted with affected communities before such decisions are taken,” she said. She further noted that learners and teachers from closed schools are relocated to schools where there is available space, not by force, but on a voluntary basis.
Nuunyango-George added that infrastructure from closed schools may be repurposed for other government uses, provided due process is followed.
She encouraged community members to mobilise at least 50 learners and formally apply, should they wish to have the school reopened. Meanwhile, the executive director of the ministry, Erastus Haitengela, indicated that a nationwide assessment will be conducted to determine the number of closed schools across all 14 regions.
“We have schools experiencing overcrowding, and where feasible, learners can be relocated to existing unused facilities,” he said. Haitengela stressed the importance of utilising existing infrastructure, noting that some regions still face shortages of secondary schools. He added that identified facilities could be upgraded where necessary.