Shambyu Senior Secondary School in the Kavango East region spends thousands of dollars annually on renting private facilities for school activities as it does not have its own school hall.
Established in 1933, the school situated in the Shambyu constituency has operated for over 90 years without a dedicated hall, impacting essential functions such as assemblies, examinations, and community meetings.
The school’s principal, Thadeus Hamutenya, highlighted the matter recently when the Back to School Namibia Foundation donated stationery to 1 100 pupils.
He said the school currently uses the Don Bosco Hall at the St Joseph’s Parish of the Roman Catholic Mission at a cost of N$1 000 per day.
“When our Grade 11 pupils have to write their final examinations, we spend N$58 000 on the hall,” he said.
The principal said with the pupil population growing every year, the school’s facilities are being stretched to their limit.
“Preparation for the construction of a school hall has begun. We are raising funds with parents and community members to make this project a reality,” he said.
Hamutenya said N$600 000 is needed for the construction of the school hall and they have so far only managed to raise N$60 000.
He added that the funds the school receives from the government are not sufficient to construct a school hall as those resources are needed for other equally important responsibilities.
At the same event, Back to School Namibia Foundation president Alicia Dipierri expressed the organisation’s commitment to uplifting and supporting communities.
The foundation, funded by donors from Poland and Germany, provided each pupil with a book, pencil, eraser, ruler, and sharpener.
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