2008-01-29Staff Report 2 "By Reagan Malumo KATIMA MULILO Students at Caprivi College of Education whose hostels have been run down would still have to endure their dilapidated state despite media exposure. The hostel conditions at the college are pathetic and need urgent remedy. Last year, New Era carried stories on the dilapidated ablution facilities at the hostel due to broken sewer pipes and toilets with some bathrooms persistently being used without doors as most of the doors were broken and needed to be replaced. These conditions have since led to blocked sewage pipes to burst and produce putrid water from which hazardous odours reek. And although most of the hostel students at the college have complained about this for almost a year, no solution has come forth. It also appears none of the concerned officials want to take responsibility. A mind game of ""it is not me, but him,"" is now at play with college officials pointing fingers at workers at the Ministry of Works, Transport and Communication who in turn blame the Ministry of Education. Last year, a senior official at the Department of Works at Katima Mulilo confirmed to New Era his ministry was only responsible for the maintenance of the college and that since the college needed a major facelift, it was the responsibility of the Ministry of Education to initiate efforts for renovations. When New Era visited the college over the weekend, pools of smelly, sewerage water could be seen flowing along the corridors of the college and producing a highly putrid stench. The superintendent at the College James Fumano had no choice but to acknowledge that the situation was still unchanged. He said nothing is in the pipeline for much needed repairs and renovation of the hostels. Fumano added that geysers at the hostel were not working and that his institution had since taken up the issue with the works ministry. He said the ministry appeared to have consistently ignored his plea. Fumano said since the registration will start this week, students will still endure the problem. ""These students are old and it is a pity that there are no doors at bathrooms and toilets as this deprives them of their privacy,"" he said. He said his institution had reported the problems to the works ministry but to no avail. He accused the works ministry of apportioning blame on the education ministry. For now the college has started working on a clean-up project by erecting dustbins. Meanwhile, with the start of the new academic year some college students fear that the non-functioning sewage system might serve as a breeding site for mosquitoes that could lead to a malaria outbreak. In response, Fumano assured all incoming students that arrangements have been made with the Ministry of Health and Social Services to spray the entire hostel with insecticides. All hostel students are also advised to bring mosquito nets. " 2008-01-29Staff Report 2
