Stefanus Nambara

NKURENKURU – The Sitopogo Combined School in the Kavango West region supplemented its Life Skills teaching by dedicating two days last week aimed at tackling social problems in society. 

The school initiated the Life Skills Day last year and this year invited officials from the health, safety and gender ministries to talk to the learners on different issues that affect their social and educational development such as bullying, personal hygiene, teenage pregnancies and sexual harassment.

Acting principal of the school Hilma Mbareke indicated that with communities faced with an increase in cases of social ills such as teenage pregnancies and gender-based violence – and also the presence of Covid-19, there is a need to have such a day to supplement what is taught in the life skills subject.

“Our society is faced with different challenges and those challenges are also affecting our learners, so there’s a need for the school to do something,” Mbareke said.

The information day involved the school’s pre-primary learners too.

“They remain well informed and when they observe some situations that involve, for example, gender-based violence, they know what to do; they know where to go and report cases so that they can be helped also,” she added.

Mbakere appealed to parents to also take up their roles and continue to talk to their children about social challenges, saying the school has not taken that responsibility away from them but it is merely supplementing.

“We believe that whatever the parents are doing at home and what we are doing here at school is going to bring changes in our society,” she said.

Life Skills teacher at the school Petrus Kandjimi Himarwa said it is important to rope in experts in the fields, as learners will understand better and take the message seriously as they receive more information on the issues discussed.

The school envisages holding the day at least once a year as it continues to educate its learners on daily social issues.

The school has 712 learners from grade 0 to 9 at the school. They were divided into groups according to their ages to help communicate the information to them on their level of understanding.