Lylie Joel

NKURENKURU – The scenes at Mburu-uru Primary School (PS) in the Kavango West region are heartbreaking. 

Some learners sit on logs inside makeshift classrooms that were constructed from corrugated iron sheets and poles. In the hostel, overcrowding has forced some children to sleep on the floor due to a lack of beds. 

The limited bathroom facilities consist of an enclosed space, with a few buckets and utensils on the bare floor.

Established in 1972, Mburu-uru PS is situated in Mburu-uru village within the Katjinakatji circuit. 

It currently accommodates 204 learners from pre-primary to grade 6 in two permanent and three temporary classrooms.

The school serves learners from surrounding villages, including Nyondo, Nkambe, Sava, Nkuyumuko and Nkandi.

With enrolment rising from 153 learners last year to 204 this year, the hostel population has increased from 41 to 70. 

This increase has exacerbated the school’s challenges, including a shortage of chairs and desks, forcing learners to share logs. 

The lack of textbooks and exercise books further disrupts learning, as pupils often have nothing to write on.

A critical shortage of classrooms and administrative spaces has resulted in overcrowded learning conditions, with more than 50 learners in a single classroom. 

The number far exceeds the required 35-students per class ratio.

Kudumo Sakeus, a teacher at Mburu-uru PS, emphasised that they lack decent bathrooms at the school and hostel.

“There are no proper sanitation facilities. The school has only one pit latrine for both male and female teachers. Learners use the bushes or open space to relieve themselves,” he said.

Hostel conditions are equally dire, with a severe shortage of mattresses, forcing learners to sleep on the floor and share beds due to overcrowding.

The school relies on drought relief food supplies, but is facing severe shortages. 

Every month, it receives 12 tins of fish, a 12.5-kilogramme (kg) bag of maize meal, and 50kg of meat. 

This is barely enough to sustain 70 learners.

“Parents try their best to contribute N$200 per learner each term to buy food, However, it is still a challenge, because we end up finding ourselves with a lack of food to feed our learners,” said Sakeus.

Teachers expressed concern over the unsafe conditions of the corrugated iron classrooms, which become unbearably hot in summer, and too cold in winter.

Approached for comment, Tondoro constituency councillor Joseph Sivaku Sikongo said the government should investigate the school’s demands, as Namibian children deserve to be educated in healthy environments.

“We understand that the government is busy with other equally important projects, but the school cannot be sidelined like this. It has not been renovated since it was built 52 years ago. The current structures pose a serious risk to learners. If a structure collapses, who will be to blame?” he questioned.

Mburu-uru PS principal Emersiana Siteketa revealed that despite engaging with the director of education for Kavango West last year, no action has been taken. 

A follow-up letter sent to the inspector of education for the Katjinakatji circuit on 23 January 2025 went unanswered.

Among the school’s urgent needs are chairs and desks, grade 6 textbooks, four additional classrooms, an administration block, and proper toilets for both learners and teachers.

Attempts to obtain comment from Kavango West’s director of education Pontianus Musore proved futile, as calls went unanswered.

 – Nampa