Justicia Shipena
The government plans to build more school hostels in the Hardap region to improve access to education for learners from remote communities.
Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture minister Sanet Steenkamp said hostel development is a priority to address long distances to schools, learner dropouts and growing pressure on rural education systems.
She spoke on Tuesday at the inauguration of the Namaqua Kalahari Children’s Hope Hostel in Gochas. She described the facility as a model for future education infrastructure in sparsely populated regions.
“The vastness of the region and the spreading of communities into small villages place a tremendous pressure on the government and directorates to provide quality education,” Steenkamp said.
She said hostels offer a practical solution by creating safe and stable learning environments closer to schools.
Steenkamp said the ministry wants to move away from building many small schools with low enrolment and instead invest in hostels that can serve learners from a wider area.
“We are striving to construct more similar hostels and hopefully transform existing institutions to serve a broader purpose,” she said.
The Namaqua Kalahari Children’s Hope Hostel accommodates 60 learners and has separate facilities for boys and girls, a dining hall, a kitchen, sick bays, study rooms and staff accommodation.
Construction started in October 2023 and the project cost N$11.6 million.
The funding came from the Spain-based non-profit organisation Foundawtion, with support from local partners.
Steenkamp said hostel living improves learner safety and supports better learning by reducing long daily walks to school and limiting exposure to social risks.
“By providing accommodation, we are also working to eliminate barriers that often lead to dropouts, ensuring higher retention rates and better completion rates for our learners,” she said.
Steenkamp urged the Gochas community to take care of the new facilities.
“Our commitment to education must be reflected in how we treat the facilities entrusted to us,” she said.
She said the government remains committed to expanding similar hostel projects in Hardap and other rural regions to ensure that no learner is excluded because of distance or poverty.
Caption
Education minister Sanet Steenkamp inaugurated the Namaqua Kalahari Children’s Hope Hostel in Gochas in the Hardap region on Tuesday.
- Photos: MEIYSAC
