The Karas Regional Education Circuit Inspector, Rudolf Isaacs, yesterday said "unhygienic conditions" at ECS because of a water shortage prompted the merger.

"A health hazard at ECS forced the temporary merger of the schools," Isaacs said.

He told The Namibian that the Village Council had recently suspended water and electricity supply to the school because it owed the Village Council N$96 000.According to Isaacs, the ECS management board is responsible for paying the municipal bills, while the Education Ministry is only responsible for monthly rental fee payments to the ECS management board.

He would not say what the rent was.

Isaacs did not rule out a permanent merger of the two schools.

"It is the Berseba community's desire to have the two schools under one roof," he said.

"If the ECS management board is not in a position to pay its debt with the council, the only option would be a permanent combination of the two schools," he said.

But he added that the ECS management board, the regional education office management and parents will have to deliberate on the school's future.

Karas Governor Dawid Boois, who serves on the ECS management board, acknowledged that the school was battling to make ends meet.

Boois said the board's requests to Government to take over the running of the school had fallen on deaf ears.

Boois, a former headmaster of ECS, said the board is raising funds to renovate some of the dilapidated school buildings.

"The school played a crucial role during the liberation struggle, therefore we cannot afford the permanent closure of it.

The school is our pride," he said.

He urged the business community to assist the ECS school with funding.

According to Boois, the board has secured funding from the Spanish Government to renovate the school hostel.

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