WARMBAD – The Micheal Durocher Primary School in Warmbad has provided refuge to 76 learners from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Chef hostel matron Anetta Andreas in an interview with New Era recently delved into their daily operations. 

“The education ministry has decided to take in local learners in Warmbad, whose families cannot afford their basic needs like proper accommodation and meals in order to keep them in class,” she said. 

She added that a catering company from Keetmanshoop, paid by the government, supplies them weekly with raw food rations from which the hostel staff then prepares meals for the children. 

“During weekends, we keep them busy with extramural activities like field excursions and social events like talent concerts and school dances,” Andreas said. 

She continued: “To prevent them from getting involved with unemployed youth outside, who tend to substance abuse and other social evils, they are released once a month under strict parental supervision”.

Referring to the maintenance at the hostel, she said they make use of the male labourers at the school, as the works ministry in Karasburg at times takes too long to address to matters. 

“From the outset, we implement the importance of a neat and tidy environment in the kids’ daily activities in that they are responsible for making up their own beds in the morning, and partially cleaning their rooms, whereafter our cleaning staff properly clean the hostel during the day,” she added.

Andreas said the school has strict after-school learning/assignments/revision sessions on weekdays to improve academic performance. “We also accommodate four learners who are older than the prescribed age range in their grades to give them an equal opportunity to prosper in life,” she added.

Also speaking to this publication, Willem Kooper, a caretaker at the hostel, said they guard against residents trying to exploit the kids into illegal child labour. 

“When someone comes and takes one of them for light duties, we always demand such a person compensates the learners with incentives such as toiletries, which most of these impoverished kids cannot afford,” he said. -sklukowski@nepc.com.na