Shoki Kandjimi 

As part of its corporate social responsibility initiative, the owners of the Rundu Shopping Mall donated school chairs worth N$22 000 to Nakazaza Combined School located some 12 kilometres west of Rundu. 
This is after Nakazaza Combined School won Rundu Shopping Mall’s back-to-school competition on social media. Marketing manager of the Rundu Shopping Mall Maxine Stipp said they donated 200 heavy-duty plastic chairs for the learners and 10 soft chairs for the teachers. 

“For the past few years, Rundu Shopping Mall has been running a back-to-school competition, where the public is invited to vote for the school whom they feel deserves a donation from the mall. Over 1 000 votes were obtained this year, of which Nakazaza Combined School received the most votes,” she added. 
The public is given a chance to participate in the competition by nominating a school of their choice and voting for their preferred school on social media. 

Stipp indicated that this allows members of the public to participate in the competition and feel part of the donation.

The manger further pointed out that they look at the needs of the school by engaging the school’s management and thereafter decide on what they should donate to the school. 
The competition was launched last year and Sauyemwa Junior Primary School won the competition for the first time. 

Other schools that took part in the competition were Rudolf Ngondo Primary School, Sarusungu Combined School, Sitopogo Combined School and Mupini Combined School.

On his part, the school principal, Tjakula Nicodemus welcomed the donation and said that learners are now taught in a conducive environment. “We appreciate this gesture. This is an investment in education because our learners can now receive education in a conducive environment enabling them to actively participate in the classroom,” he said. 

Nicodemus further called on the business community to emulate Rundu Shopping Mall’s donation by ploughing back in the community. 

He added that the school is faced with challenges such as a shortage of classrooms, chairs and office space in which the school’s management can operate. 

However, due to the donation by the Rundu Shopping Mall, the school no longer has a shortage of chairs for both the teachers and pupils, the principal highlighted. 
Previously, three learners would share one chair in a classroom. The school uses one classroom as an administration block.

Nakazaza Combined School is still faced with a shortage of classrooms due to the new curriculum that was introduced. 

Additionally, the school does not have a fence, a library and a laboratory where learners can conduct their scientific practicals.  
Nicodemus called on the business community to come to their rescue in this regard.