Namibia's education ministry is bracing for a rough January with serious school placement issues. The national problem, highlighted by Khomas regional director Paulus Nghikembua, stems from a lack of infrastructure and growing student numbers. Grades 1 and 8 are the biggest headache every year. Officials like deputy executive director Edda Bohn say they cannot even get a full count of unplaced kids until weeks into the new term because their system is not digital.
In the Khomas region, placement lists for those key grades were mostly finished in November. A handful of cases, like 16 omitted Grade 1 students and under 50 Grade 8 pupils, will be sorted out after headcounts in January. The long-term fix is building more schools, with three new ones under construction in areas like Otjomuise and Havana. Other regions are struggling too. Oshikoto is swamped with Grade 10 boarding school applications that they cannot fulfill. Otjozondjupa has over 200 primary kids waiting in Okahandja, partly due to spillover from Windhoek. They plan to use afternoon sessions at an existing school until a new one is finished in March. In Omaheke, towns like Gobabis lack enough high schools for Grade 8, with new builds not starting until late next year.
In the Khomas region, placement lists for those key grades were mostly finished in November. A handful of cases, like 16 omitted Grade 1 students and under 50 Grade 8 pupils, will be sorted out after headcounts in January. The long-term fix is building more schools, with three new ones under construction in areas like Otjomuise and Havana. Other regions are struggling too. Oshikoto is swamped with Grade 10 boarding school applications that they cannot fulfill. Otjozondjupa has over 200 primary kids waiting in Okahandja, partly due to spillover from Windhoek. They plan to use afternoon sessions at an existing school until a new one is finished in March. In Omaheke, towns like Gobabis lack enough high schools for Grade 8, with new builds not starting until late next year.
