Allexer Namundjembo
Construction of a school hall at Omuthiya Iipundi Senior Secondary School in Omuthiya, Oshikoto region, remains incomplete more than seven years after the project was first introduced.
The project, which formally began in 2020, was meant to provide the school with a hall for assemblies, meetings and other activities.
To date, only the foundation has been laid.
Former learners say pupils were required to contribute financially towards the construction, despite the project still standing unfinished years later.
“We contributed towards the construction of the hall. We thought it would have been completed by now, especially since the school even relocated the sports field to make space for the hall,” said Pinehas Martin, who was a learner at the school in 2019.
Martin said learners often held meetings in open spaces, which he described as unsuitable and hoped the hall would have been completed long ago.
“I thought it would be completed by now. It was going to be a game changer for the school and the town at large. Omuthiya does not have a hall, and most activities are hosted either at the Omuthiya Elcin Church or at the Nantu office. If the school hall had been completed, it would have helped host events at the school, which could also generate income,” he said.
In March 2020, the school posted on its Facebook page that it had received donations from Build It Omuthiya towards the construction of the hall.
“Thanks to Omuthiya Build It for a massive donation towards the construction of the school hall at Omuthiya Iipundi SS on 17 March 2020. On behalf of the Omuthiya community, we are very thankful for that important gesture,” the post read.
Later that year, the school announced on the same platform that construction had begun.
“The construction of Omuthiya Iipundi SS Hall has begun. Thanks to those who made their contributions over the past years. More donations towards the construction are welcome,” the post stated.
The update prompted responses from former learners, some of whom said contributions towards the hall dated back as far as 2007.
Several commenters indicated that they had contributed amounts of up to N$50.
“That sounds so great. I really contributed a lot from 2017 to 2018. I wish I could one day come and sit in that hall,” one former learner wrote.
Sources familiar with the matter said the school also received other donations, including a bull that was given to a local businessman.
“The bull was donated, and my understanding is that it was sold with the assumption that the funds would be used for the construction of the hall,” the source said.
When schools reopened this year, learners were reportedly still required to pay N$140 per year for the hall.
A learner starting in Grade 8 would pay a total of N$560 by the time they reach Grade 11.
When contacted for comment last week, the school’s principal, Susan Muhongo, said she was busy with admissions and asked that the Windhoek Observer visit the school for an interview. This was not possible as this reporter is based in Windhoek.
Follow-up questions were later sent to her via WhatsApp, but she did not respond.
When contacted again on Monday, she said she was unable to comment as she was in a meeting.
