New Era Newspaper

New Era Epaper
Icon Collap
...
Home / Hostel handover sees another delay

Hostel handover sees another delay

2021-02-12  Nuusita Ashipala

Hostel handover sees another delay

Nuusita Ashipala

ENDOLA - More than 500 learners at the Shituwa Secondary School are expected to stay home for another two weeks after the partial handover of the hostel was halted on Wednesday.

The resumption of the school for 580 learners was extended for another two weeks to allow the finalisation of the pending issues to be completed. At the start of this week, the school still had pending electricity and water issues to be sorted out.The affected learners have not resumed school this year.

Although a partial handover was scheduled for Wednesday, education director in Ohangwena region Isak Hamatwi said the principal agent supervising the project was not keen on the partial handover.

“The principal agent has asked for two weeks for the outstanding issues to be finalised, after which they will then do a major project inspection before he can agree to handover,” said Hamatwi.

In the meantime, the affected learners will continue to stay at home until the hostel handover is done.

“We cannot bring the learners to the school until we are satisfied that the environment is conducive for our learners,” said Hamatwi.

Hamatwi said, to compensate for the lost time, arrangements will be made at the school level for the affected learners to be taught during weekends and afternoon.

In the meantime, the school, which accommodates grades 10 and 11, only has 347 grade 11 learners for the 2021 academic year.

Pending the finalisation of the hostel, the learners who are currently at the school are accommodated in their usual old corrugated iron shacks while some are accommodated in the school hall.

Learners who were previously not accommodated in the said shacks were accommodated in the surrounding of Endola where they are exposed to all social ills.

School principal Hendrik Nghinyengwasha in an earlier interview told New Era that the grade 11 learners were roped in to start as they were in the exiting grade.

“Too much time was passing by and we could not continue to allow them to miss out on school,” said Nghinyengwasha. The hostel has been under construction since 2016 and once completed, it will accommodate at least 780 learners. The school has a learner population of about 900.

- nashipala@nepc.com.na


2021-02-12  Nuusita Ashipala

Share on social media