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No desks, no chairs: Zambezi children learn sitting on floors

Over 1 300 pupils at Alufeya Sampofu Combined School in the Zambezi region receive lessons while sitting on the floor, as the school faces a severe shortage of desks and chairs.

The school at Katima Mulilo offers grades 0 to 9, and has been operational since 2021.

A school staff member, who spoke to The Namibian on condition of anonymity on Sunday, said all grades are affected by this shortage, making teaching and learning difficult as a result.

“Pupils are finding it difficult to write and finish any given activity or test speedily, while the teachers are also finding it difficult to go around to check if pupils are doing the correct tasks. It’s really an unconducive [sic] environment as, on top of this, the classes are also overcrowded, with about 49 pupils per grade,” the source said.

The source added that teachers also face a shortage of chairs, and have to take chairs from pupils or bring their own from home to deal with the problem.

“The school needs additional classrooms as well, to address the overcrowding challenge, as pupil enrolment is increasing every year and [the school needs] more teachers as well,” the source said.

The school principal, Moses Kalonda, said he was not authorised to speak to the media when approached for comment yesterday. He referred all questions to the regional education director, Alex Sikume.

The Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture’s executive director, Sanet Steenkamp, when approached for comment yesterday, acknowledged that it is not a conducive teaching or learning environment pupils.

She, however, added, that it is a temporary situation as the ministry has dispersed about N$44 million across all the regions the procurement of additional school furniture.

“Therefore, you need to contact the regional education director, Alex Sikume, to find out how far they are to procure the furniture,” she said.

Sikume, when approached for comment, said: “It is being sorted as a matter of priority.”

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