• Lifestyle

Bigger and better classrooms at Aussenkehr

Monique Adams

The Aussenkehr Primary School had a difficult start to 2022 after a storm destroyed two classrooms in January.

The classrooms were part of eight that were donated by the Southern Africa Education Fund (SAEF) in 2019.

“Due to the lack of classrooms, we made use of the Aussenkehr Christian community centre as temporary classrooms for the four pre-primary classes that were affected,” Susanna Kadhikwa, the school principal, said.

The storm, according to Kadhikwa, highlighted the school’s shortage of classrooms even more.

Bigger and better

Paige de Kock, executive director of SAEF, said she used to visit the school while her father-in-law was working at the Cape Orchard Company in Aussenkehr.

Following several visits, the fund donated four prefabricated classrooms to the value of N$396 145 in July 2019.

In December 2019, another four classrooms, totalling N$664 139, were handed over.

After the two classrooms were blown over by the storm in January 2022, De Kock agreed to pay for the required fixes to the damaged classrooms, in addition to the reinforcement and strengthening of the slabs of two other classrooms that required the boost.

“We are really grateful for stakeholders like these who are joining hands with the government in addressing challenges facing in the education sector,” Kadhikwa said.

Bit local win

In August last year, the school sent their profile to the Mobile Telecommunication Company (MTC)’s rural schools project.

In November, MTC’s Tim Ekandjo, informed them they were selected as successful beneficiaries, and would receive six new classrooms and one storeroom.

“The school and the community of Aussenkehr are ecstatically happy that MTC resolved to assist our school with such a donation, to address the plight of the classroom shortage that this school is experiencing due to the large number of primary school-going pupils,” the principal said.

Construction of the classrooms should be completed by the end of July 2022.