Learner enrollment in the Khomas region increased from 94 999 in 2020 to 97 176 in 2021, and if the trend continues, learner enrollment for 2022 will be around 99 411 which will require an additional 63 classrooms.
This was said by Khomas regional governor Laura McLeod-Katjirua, when she delivered her state of the region address here Wednesday.
She said the region is in pursuant of the national objectives and the mission to provide accessible, equitable and inclusive quality education for a tolerant skilled, productive and competitive nation. However, it is faced with a lack of classroom challenges its population keeps increasing every year due to people migrating from others regions for job opportunities and a better education system. However, the regional leadership is working around the clock to address the lack of classrooms.
‘There are two capital construction projects on-going, namely Havana Project Secondary School, and Dr. Abraham Iyambo Primary School in Moses Garoeb Constituency. The Havana Project Secondary School, which is in its actual construction phase stands at N.dollars 87 million. The total amount for this current phase is N.dollars 12 million. Other ongoing projects amongst others are the renovation of hostels, kitchen, water and sewer infrastructure and reticulation systems at Augustineum Secondary School in Khomasdal,’ said McLeod-Katjirua.
She added that the region received N.dollars 41 million under the COVID-19 Infrastructure Development Fund, which it plans to use for the construction of 22 ablution blocks at 22 schools and renovate two hostel blocks at Ella du Plessis High School. In addition, the region intends to construct an additional 18 pre-primary classrooms to the tune of N.dollars 6.7 million with assistance from the European Union.
The governor has also expressed her disappointment in the number of school-going girls who fell pregnant in the region during the 2020 academic year, which recorded 371 pregnancies in school going, girls.
A total of 321 were recorded from secondary schools while 26 were from Resource Schools and 24 were from primary schools.
The governor further added that the region remains committed to its objective of ensuring public safety and security in order to improve the sense of personal safety in public spaces by reducing crime rate with more than five per cent annually and change the perception of the region being a crime-prone environment, especially in Windhoek.
‘The region is also committed to achieve the clearance rate of all cases with 50 per cent annually through effective crime investigations, increasing clearance rate of cases through docket operations or docket inspections by increasing the number of investigating officers through training and strengthening relations with magistrates and prosecutors to finalise cases speedily,’ added McLeod-Katjirua.
Source: Namibia Press Agency
