Shituwa hostel opens

Shituwa hostel opens TUYEIMO HAIDULA



ENDOLA

Learners at Shituwa Secondary School in the Ohangwena Region breathed a sigh of relief when the new hostel block opened two weeks ago.

Government bureaucracy and lack of funds forced learners to endure living in filthy conditions while they waited for over six years for the hostel to be completed.

The school, which is home to 875, now accommodates 776 learners in the hostel - 400 girls and 376 boys.

When government schools opened for the 2021 academic year, about 580 grade 10 learners at Shituwa had not yet resumed school and were waiting for the contractor to finalise outstanding issues of water and electricity connection at the hostel.

The hostel has been under construction since 2016 and was envisaged to have been completed in 2017 and occupied by 2018, but the construction process dragged on.

Still sharing beds

The learners were, in the meantime, accommodated in overcrowded corrugated iron sheet rooms where some were forced to share beds.

Those who were accommodated elsewhere had to walk long distances to and from school. Others were accommodated in unfavourable places, increasing the absenteeism rate at the school.

Principal Hendrick Nghinyengwasha said the worst is over as the learners now live in decent accommodation.

On a tour around the hostel, it, however, became apparent that the school has not received enough beds. Some learners sleep on mattresses and others are forced to share beds.

The grade 11 learners are currently sleeping on the old beds.

“We also don’t have beds. For now, we only have a limited number of used beds from the old hostel,” Nghinyengwasha said.

He added that he remains hopeful that the outstanding issues will be addressed.

The school is ranked fourth regionally in grade 11.

– tuyeimo@namibiansun.com