2017-12-19Staff Report 2 Obrein Simasiku Omuthiya-Oshikoto region has over 140 makeshift classrooms, this is against the backdrop of laid down plans and efforts to minimise or totally end improvised structures and make way for facilities and environment conducive to learning and teaching. The little or no progress made has prompted the Oshikoto Regional Council to appeal to government for funds to improve some of the structures at certain schools. Oshikoto Regional Officer of Omuthiya, Frans Enkali, expressed his unhappiness with the status quo, especially in remote rural schools. He, however, did not specify how many and which schools they intend to begin with, although he echoed issues of limited financial resources as one of the obstacles. Enkali noted the realisation will also depend on the relationship between council and the directorate of education, and this is hampered by the location of the office that is situated in Oshana region. “The challenge, which we have at the moment, is that the office is in another region. This makes it difficult for proper concerted planning and coordination of some projects because of the distance and it not every time that you meet. In other words, they do their own planning and we do ours, therefore, comes some differences, especially in terms of priorities or providing services,” explained Enkali. “That’s why sometimes you find that health facilities, roads, telecommunications and schools are not intertwined. There are scenarios whereby roads have been constructed but do not link to any school or clinic, as a result these facilities become inaccessible because there was no coordination between the various institutions when they did their planning,” he added. The construction of the directorate of education office in Omuthiya is one of the capital projects, which were put on hold due to lack of funds although land for this purpose has been secured. “This widened location has been costly and delays some discussions due to the distance of travelling up and down. And in some instances, staff coming from the directorate will be paid subsistence and travelling allowance because they are travelling from another region,” remarked Enkali. In that light, Enkali appealed to the government to avail funds no matter how little to kick-start the project. “The little that we can receive can be used for surveying and planning of the area. Thus, when more funds are available, we continue,” said Enkali, adding that he understands the state the country’s economy is in. 2017-12-19Staff Report 2
