Feature: Namibian urban informal settlements grapple with poor school infrastructure

On a Tuesday morning, primary learners assemble for school at Monte Christo Primary Project School in Havana informal settlement on the outskirts of Namibian capital, Windhoek.

At the school, in tents, which serve as classrooms, teaching take place.

"We have been operating from the tent classrooms since February this year," said acting school principal, Elizabeth Murangi.

Murangi told Xinhua teaching in tents is a challenge as the area is windy and dusty, "But we have nine committed staff members whose core aim is to provide quality education to learners regardless of the physical infrastructure."

Due to an influx of many people to the Havana informal settlement, the demand for schools have increased.

To meet the demand for education, the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture has set up temporary school structures, according to Gerard Vries, Director of Education, Arts and Culture in the Khomas Region.

Of the 325,858 people living in Windhoek, over 110,000 are living in informal settlements, with an estimated close to 100,000 living in wood and zinc structures in Havana alone, recent records from Namibia Statistics Agency showed.

As the number of rural-urban migrants increased, the city is faced with a shortage of classrooms, which resulted in learners being taught in tents, said Vries.

To address the problem, the private sector is meeting the Ministry half-way in transforming the conditions of schools by providing container classrooms.

Leading business venture Ohlthaver and List (O&L) Group of Companies set up two container classrooms to the Monte Christo Project Primary School valued at 700 000 Namibian dollars (47 297 U.S. dollars) on Tuesday. The two classrooms will accommodate between 35 and 40 children each.

The container classrooms are equipped with desks for the teachers, white boards and standard classroom facilities.

The prime aim is to provide the children with the opportunity to acquire basic education in a standard environment, said the group's executive chairperson Sven Thieme.

Receiving the container classrooms, Sanet Steenkamp, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture said that the erection of the two container classrooms will bring about significant improvements in the general teaching and learning conditions at the school.

While the container classrooms eases the burden of classroom shortage, Steenkamp expressed concern over the small and squeezed space of the school,"Lifting two class groups out of tents is a big step forward towards a longer lasting solution. But the school will need to add an additional six more tents in order to cater for both grade one and two in 2017."

The permanent secretary called on the key partners to assist the Ministry in addressing this challenge.

In the meantime, on its part, the Ministry is underway with plans to construct a permanent school, "We will therefore, as partners and co-drivers of education, put our heads together to work on how best we can secure funds for the permanent construction and relocation of this school," she said. Endit