Kauluma Combined School without water

SOME 636 learners and 21 teachers at the Kauluma Combined School have been without water since Monday after the supply was cut by the Directorate of Rural Water Supply.

It was allegedly cut to prevent teachers from using the water at their homes situated on the school premises.Yesterday teachers and pupils at the school, named after Anglican Bishop James Kauluma, threatened to strike if the water was not reconnected.A department head at the school, Nikanor Amesho, told The Namibian that a company called Merjam Truebody Development Consultants (MTDC) provided water to the school last year through the Directorate of Rural Water Supply.But the water was apparently meant for drinking during work hours only.Amesho said 17 of the teachers, who are from other areas, are staying in shacks and brick houses they have built on the school premises.He said the Rural Water Supply policy stipulates that only those staying in Government houses can get water from the ministry.This discriminates against those who have built their own accommodation because they could no longer wait on the State, he claimed.’I thought that the Government would be happy with our efforts [to build our own homes] and will say, ‘give them water’, but it seems nobody is appreciating our efforts,’ Amesho said.Earlier, school principal Latendeluwa Mutilifa had raised concerns about the borehole water that Rural Water Supply wanted the teachers to use.She said the groundwater was contaminated by sewage and not fit for human consumption.Mutilifa said it was difficult for them to collect water outside the school premies because the community taps were not always open.She said several times the situation had forced some teachers to go to bed on empty stomachs.’This type of scenario is demoralising and also tarnishing the teachers’ professional image. How can you expect such a teacher to deliver?’ she said.She suggested that water be supplied to the teachers’ houses. In the meantime, they should be given access to the school water.The Directorate of Rural Water Supply told Mutilifa earlier that the situation would remain unchanged until the policy was amended.

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.

The Namibian uses AI tools to assist with improved quality, accuracy and efficiency, while maintaining editorial oversight and journalistic integrity.