ABOUT 500 pupils boarding at Mweshipandeka High School at Ongwediva were on Sunday left stranded with their belongings as maintenance and renovations at the school’s hostel were not completed.
Many have travelled from remote rural areas hoping to commence with their academic year.
When they arrived at the school, they were informed by the authorities that the hostel was not ready and they should go home.
They would be informed when to return.
Yesterday, some pupils were fetched by their parents, but others had nowhere to go and no money to travel home with.
The school was to reopen on 26 January, which was postponed to today (yesterday) due to maintenance conducted.
Hilma Nuunyango-George, the deputy director of education in the Oshana region, said the school’s reopening would now be delayed by an additional two or three weeks.
“We were under the impression that the renovation work would be done by Friday and the pupils would be allowed to start school on Monday [yesterday]. But when they showed up, they were informed the contractors were still busy and the hostel facilities were not ready for use. Pupils were told to go back home and wait to be informed when school would commence. It’s a dilemma and we are really sorry for the pupils and their parents for any inconvenience caused,” Nuunyango-George said.
She said the school would prioritise Grade 11 pupils who are expected to write their final exam in the next few months.
The school has not undergone renovations since it was constructed in the early 1980s, and with the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the school’s management saw it fit to revamp the hostel facilities and maintain hygiene.
School principal Joseph Nangombe assured the pupils that the renovations would be completed in due course.
