N$17m school project grinds to a halt

N$17m school project grinds to a halt KENYA KAMBOWE

Construction on a government school in Okahao has been halted for a year now, much to the disappointment of teachers and parents.

The N$17 million project has been put on hold after the Ministry of Education terminated the contract, allegedly due to non-compliance on the part of the contractor.

“The project for the construction of the primary school at Okahao was put on hold, following the termination of the contract with the company initially contracted to build the school, due to non-compliance,” said education spokesperson Johanna Absalom.

She said the ministry was appointing a new contractor, promising that the school would be completed by the end of the year.

A source told Namibian Sun that a number of contractors worked on the school and the project could not be completed due to financial constraints.

Stakeholders in the area have berated the ministry for the prolonged delay saying the ministry is not serious with the project considering the fact a year has gone by and the project is still idle.

Construction work started in 2013.

Also expressing his disappointment with the delay of the handover of the school premises, the principal of Okahao Primary School, Immanuel Amutenya, said the delay has made it impossible for the school to add grades 6 and 7 to the school curriculum.

“We expected the school to be handed over at the beginning of the year which did not happen and no information is coming forward as to when the school keys will be handed over,” Amutenya said.

He said the school also informed parents in 2015 that it would relocate to the new premises and that the school uniform would change.

“The parents complied and bought the new school uniform but now the children have been wearing the new school uniform for a year already which is not supposed to be the case,” Amutenya said.

The project included the construction of additional classrooms, an administration block, ablution facilities, a library and laboratories.

An irate parent Namibian Sun spoke to said when the project started parents in the area were happy but now they have given up hope.

Currently, the Okahao Primary School only offers grades 1 to 5 because the church buildings they are renting cannot accommodate more learners.