The sudden closure of Bedrock Montessori School at Lüderitz has raised concerns over transparency, safety compliance, and the impact on children’s education.
This comes just months ahead of national examinations.
The Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sport, Arts and Culture has cited registration and safety concerns, including the school’s location on residential property and the presence of a dog as reasons for shutting down the institution.
Bedrock Montessori principal Olga Rossler, however, says the closure came without official warning or explanation.
“We were in the process of registering the school. What we were waiting for was a letter with recommendations to set right anything that wasn’t correct according to them, which never arrived. The letter that we received was that we need to close immediately without any reason,” she says.
Rossler confirmed the school had been operating up until 13 June, when an official closure notice was received. While she acknowledges the classrooms were located on her property and that a dog was present, she insists neither posed a risk to pupils and that the dog never came near the children.
She says these issues were never formally raised during earlier inspections.
“If those were the problems, why did they not communicate it to us? Yes, there is a dog, but the dog is closed off during the day when the children are here. They wouldn’t be able to describe the dog, because they never saw the dog,” she says.
Since the closure, many parents have turned to homeschooling or online learning platforms to avoid disrupting their children’s education.
Rossler says the school’s closure is a loss for pupils with special needs or alternative learning styles which the Montessori method accommodates.
“The parents are quite upset that the school has closed because they felt their children were safe here. What the parents really wanted was for the Montessori school to continue, because Montessori accommodates children’s learning challenges,” she says.
According to Rossler, she provided documentation to local authorities when asked and is still awaiting formal feedback from the ministry.
She says the controversy may damage Lüderitz’ reputation as it emerges as a key hub for green hydrogen and energy investments.
“We’re all concerned about the negativity this is bringing to town, but I still feel steps were skipped and we haven’t had a free reason . . . Unfortunately, I can currently not supply any positivity in that area until I’ve received a proper answer,” she says.
With the middle of July approaching, Rossler remains in limbo.
She says the education ministry has not responded to Bedrock Montessori’s requests for clarification yet.
