OMUTHIYA – There is a new dawn at Ohamaye Primary School in Eengodhi Constituency with the recent inauguration of a block of four classrooms, bringing an end to learners being taught in ramshackle classes made of corrugated iron zinc sheets. The development is part of the directorate of education’s 2018/19 infrastructural development plan.
The permanent structures now thereby provide a conducive learning environment to the learners of the remote school, who previously had to mingle with snakes and were prone to harsh weather conditions. Learners were very delighted as for some it was the first time they will be taught in proper brick classrooms.
The school has seven teachers and 153 learners from pre-primary to Grade 7. Grade 7 learner, Saara Nghilifilwa, was delighted saying, “For a long time, we have been taught in shacks, which were very hot during summer, too cold during winter and dusty in autumn. We are therefore grateful to the government for this rare development at our school.”
“We were exposed to harmful things such as snakes and scorpions, and I am glad that era has ended,” added Nghilifilwa.
She in the same vein called on her peers, teachers and parents to work as a team for the benefit of the school and the community, as well as handle the buildings with care for it to be used by future generations.
During the inauguration, the Deputy Minister of Industrialization, Trade and SME Development Lucia Iipumbu, encouraged learners to work hard, display discipline and remain committed to their schoolwork. “The purpose of these classrooms is to inspire learners to achieve their dreams. It is therefore their duty to use the education system not only to benefit the Ohamaye Primary School but the circuit and the broader Namibia. These classroom now provides a conducive learning environment and makes education interesting and fun for better understanding and interpretation of complex concepts,” added Iipumbu.
Furthermore, the Director of Education in Oshikoto Aletta Eises reiterated education is not an event but a process, hence the classes are not something which was decided to be constructed overnight, but carefully planned since the time of the Founding Father of the nation Sam Nujoma.
In addition, Eises said the ministry of education’s plans are in line with the aspirations of Vision 2030, which aspires to see Namibia becoming an industrialised nation and with most schools having standard brick buildings.