By Eliaser Ndeyanale
LEARNERS boarding at Dawid //Khamuxab Primary School in the Kunene region have allegedly been without proper food for two months. This is after an unnamed supplier failed to deliver food at the school.
The school is 15km from the main road from Outjo to Okaukuejo, a two-track that cuts through farm Seringkop in the jungle of thick bushes and white stones around viterver grass.
The last time the supplier delivered the food to the school according to a teacher, Manene Nelson Kaure, was in January.
The school has 85 pupils who live in torn self-made tents erected within the school and they feed on a thick plain porridge without meat or soup every day.
“They are used to eating porridge without sugar or meat,” remarked Kaure while pointing to a big potjie pot full of porridge.
Another challenge they are facing according to Eva Horases hostel caretaker is shortage of hostel beds and this forces a group of five boys to share a single bed.
The teacher also told Confidente that they do not have a clinic where their learners could be treated if they fall ill, there is poor network coverage, no radio or television reception and all roads were impassable especially during rainy seasons.
“Sometimes we don’t have water because we are sharing with the community and the water gets finished because it is drawn from a borehole and we can’t water our gardens. Sometimes when we don’t have food; we grow vegetables here and give to our pupils,” he said.
He also narrated how the school was promised refurbishment by vice president Nickey Iyambo who visited the school last year, yet nothing has been done to date.
“Even the vice president was here and promised to address our plight but he never came back.”
The school was officially opened in 2010 by then Deputy Prime Minister, Dr Libertine Amathila, and was built for the Hai//Om San community and learners residing at Seringkop farm, as well as San learners from the surrounding six other resettlement farms.
According to Helmut Doeseb an official in the office of the director of education in Kunene region, the school is under the Namibia-German Special Initiative Programme (NGSIP) therefore the office of the Prime Minister is responsible for the challenges faced by the school.
“We are only providing them with break food, the rest is done by Office of the Prime Minister because that school is under community hostel”.
The acting director of education in the Kunene region Tjizu Ambrosius could not be reached for comment, while public relations officer in the Ministry of Education Johanna Absalom said the hostel was a community initiative and does not belong to or handled by the Ministry.
“The Ministry through the Directorate of Education, Arts and Culture in the Kunene Region assist the school by providing maize blend under the Namibia School Feeding Programme. “The Namibia School Feeding Programme is a daily meal (served once a day). “The school prepares two meals per day and thus finishes the supply ahead of the duration its intended.”
She further stated that to ensure consistent supply of maize blend at the school, the Ministry currently supplies additional maize to the school (sourced from schools in the region with extra maize blend). However, this is contrary to Confidenté shocking findings.
“The local businesses have also come on board to assist the schools by providing funds. In the interim, the regional office has request the Ministry to provide additional maize blend quotas to the school.”
Several attempts to get comment from the San Development Programme in the Office of the Prime Minister proved fruitless.