Julia Kamarenga

GOBABIS - Broken windows, mountains of skeleton parts of chairs and desks, graffiti and damaged floors, torn mattresses are what catches the eye at several public schools in the Omaheke Region.

This situation is so bad that some dining halls such as that of Dr Fischer Primary School and Izak Buys Junior have no chairs or tables for the learners to sit and eat on, hence the learners have to improvise and sit on the floors or use their laps as tables.

Epukiro Secondary School is one of such schools affected by lack of classroom facilities, leading to some learners sitting outside during tests.

Tjivahe Uanivi, principal of Epukiro Secondary said they are doing all that they can to ensure a conducive learning and teaching environment at the school. The principal admitted that although the number of learners is increasing yearly, there is a tendency of breaking and mishandling government properties by the learners. 

“Our efforts include calling on local businesses and residents in our constituency to support the education of our children through various means,” Uanivi echoed.

But with the economic state that the country is going through, there is little hope and low expectation for new stock to schools, a situation that leaves learning and teaching in a quandary.

Commenting on these acts of thuggery, the regional Education Director, Pecka Semba said, “there is no budgetary provision for buying new stock, but we are encouraging schools to buy the tops and find a private person to fix the broken items.” 
Semba said when there is money available, they give but in the absence of such the schools also have to figure out how they can avert the situation.

When quizzed about the damage to state properties, the learners at various schools said they do not take care of government things because they are not responsible for either buying or fixing them.