Windhoek: Kavango West Regional Education Director, Pontianus Musore, said most schools in the region remain cut off from reliable internet access, undermining teaching, administration, and plans to expand advanced-level subjects. Musore, while engaging the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) here on Monday, said the region has 188 schools with 55,002 learners, and only 21 schools are properly connected to high-speed internet.According to Namibia Press Agency, Musore stated that the region is performing well academically, leading the country in the Namibia Senior Secondary Certificate Ordinary (NSSO) and Advanced Subsidiary (AS) level examinations over the past three years. However, poor connectivity is putting this achievement at risk. Schools such as Nkurenkuru Combined School have computer laboratories supplied by the ministry of education, innovation, youth, sports, and culture, but cannot use them effectively. "We are unable to use it properly because the internet is not what we require," Musore said.Other schools, including Katjinakatji Secondary School, have tried to work with service providers, including Mobile Telecommunications Limited Company (MTC), but face high charges for equipment such as repeaters commonly known as mobile signal boosters or amplifiers. Musore said the impact is felt in both the classroom and the office, with teachers struggling to access online curriculum materials, while principals battle to meet administrative deadlines.He highlighted the School Link System, an online platform meant to be used nationwide for report cards and learner records, saying many schools are unable to make use of the system because of the lack of internet access. "It is mandatory for schools to produce these reports from the system, but ours, we have a challenge," he said, stressing that some schools must travel to towns like Nkurenkuru or Rundu just to access basic online services.Musore welcomed the ministry's plan to roll out 1,111 computer devices to the region and to connect more schools but cautioned that the roll-out currently targets small, remote schools over senior secondary schools that urgently need reliable internet for the advanced curriculum. "We appreciate these schools that were connected, but we just wish we were asked to nominate schools that can benefit," he said, noting that repeated engagements with service providers and ministry management have so far not resolved the problem.