Anker pupils taught in tents

FRANSFONTEIN - Some of the 327 pupils who were relocated from Edward //Garoeb Primary School at Anker to Fransfontein in May to protect them from the regular threat of earth tremors that shook their schools are being taught in tents, which they say is hampering their efforts to study. 

Edward //Garoeb Primary School is situated at Anker which is in the Kaoko Orogenic Belt, which is a regional tectonic unit on the north-west coast of Namibia. Pupils were moved to Fransfontein settlement situated about 30 kilometres from Khorixas.
“The tents are not a suitable place for one to be taught. It is really dusty and gets hot too,” a Grade 7 pupil told this newspaper over the weekend. 

Some pupils said the tents “make our school uniforms dirty”. “You go to school on Monday and your clothes are already dirty after school. We miss our old school,” another Grade 7 pupil chipped in.

“Our uniform gets dirty within a day. It’s useless even to wash them,” says a Grade 6 pupil.
Some pupils said they are sharing a bed and at times lockers are shared by three pupils.

Annalize Jantze, the director of education in Kunene Region, in April said that they were busy with the groundwork renovations but it seems nothing was renovated as most windows were broken and water was flowing from the toilets pipes. 
Outjo education inspector Thomas Amutenya also told New Era earlier this year that no pupils from Anker will be taught in tents – however six tents have been set up.

“These conditions we are in are really bad as it’s inhumane. At least Anker was better than this that resembles a war zone,” a teacher who spoke on condition of anonymity said.