New Era

Oshana renovation­s delay reopening

- ■ Nuusita Ashipala – nashipala@nepc.com.na

ONGWEDIVA - Education director in Oshana region Hileni Amukana said the Mweshipand­eka and Eheke senior secondary schools will only resume classes on 1 February this year.

Amukana said renovation­s are currently ongoing at the two schools hence the postponeme­nt of the resumption of classes.

“Eheke promised to be done by this weekend already, but the work still needs to dry before the learners can return,” said Amukana.

The director said so far only those two schools have indicated that they were not ready to resume classes.

A communicat­ion sent out by Mweshipand­eka school principal Joseph Nangobe informed parents not to send grade 8-11 learners this week.

“The school principal of Mweshipand­eka SSS is urgently informing parents/ guardians of learners of all grades 8-11 that they must not send learners on 25 January 2021 as expected. This is because of major renovation­s taking place at the hostel,” said Nangobe.

As a result, all hostel boarders are only expected at the school on 31 January.

Similarly, at Eheke, the principal Stephenson Nakaziko requested parents not to send their learners to the school as renovation­s are being done in the hostels.

“Because of the renovation­s that have not been completed, the director in the region Hileni Amukana took a decision that all learners schooling at the school this year would resume classes on 31 January 2021,” Nakaziko said.

In Ohangwena region, education director Isak Hamatwi said only Shituwa Secondary School was not ready to start.

It is not definite when the school will start, but it is projected to start within the first week of February.

The hostel, which was projected to cost N$90 million at the start of its constructi­on in 2016, has not yet been finalised.

Hamatwi said issues of electricit­y, water and plumbing still need to be sorted out before the learners can return to the school.

Hamatwi said the contractor has promised to finish the pending work to allow the learners to start their academic year.

Queried on what is likely to happen if the contractor does not finish as promised since the school should have been handed over in 2017 already, Hamatwi maintained that learners can only return once the work is completed.

 ?? Photo: Nampa ?? Slow start… Oshana director Hileni Amukana.
Photo: Nampa Slow start… Oshana director Hileni Amukana.

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