Teachers’ strike frustrates Northern pupils

A FEELING OF hopelessness made up the atmosphere yesterday at the Ponhofi Senior Secondary School, situated about 50-kilometres from Ondangwa in the Ohangwena region.

Pupils wandered around the school grounds, unsure of what exactly to do. Others looked for shade under trees as they looked at empty classrooms and a deserted staff room.

The indefinite nationwide teachers’ strike is on. The government refused to give teachers an 8% salary increase, resulting in them voting for the industrial action, a decision bemoaned by many pupils, who feel they have a right to quality basic education.

The trouble Vicky Paulus is going through is visible on her face. Paulus, a Grade 11 pupil at the school, is lying down on the pavement in front of the girls hostel. She lifts her head and sits up to speak to .

Her main worry is how they will survive the sunny weather as there are no classes, and they are also not allowed to enter the hostel blocks now. The blocks remained closed as per norm, and only open at 14h00 when school is out.

“Day pupils were told to go home, but we were told to rest under the trees, or to go and study because we cannot go back to the hostels,” Paulus said, adding that the strike was not a wise decision.

Onesmus Kangulu, who is in Grade 12 at the Gabriel Taapopi Secondary School at Ongwediva, expressed dismay at the timing of the teachers’ strike. He said the strike will ruin their final examinations as their concentration has been disrupted.

Lavinia Jason is also a Grade 12 pupil at Ponhofi, and said she is heartbroken that the teachers gave up on them and decided to go on strike.

“We are now feeling relaxed and unable to study because we are not sure whether we will write anyway. This situation might lead to failure as some learners had a mindset that they will finish mathematics today, and move on to the next subject,” Jason said.

Eighteen-year-old Julia Paulus, another Ponhofi pupil, did not mince her words. “The teachers at this school just sit at the tuck shop eating fish and playing poker, and now they demand more money. They should not get the 8% increase. Some teachers do not even write summaries as they tell us they are allergic to chalk dust.”

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