The Minister of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture, Sanet Steenkamp, has inaugurated three schools in the Kunene Region.

The government spent over N$70 million on these as well as extra classrooms, ablution facilities, and other infrastructure at nine other schools in the region.

The three are Outjo Project Primary and Secondary Schools and Okapundja Primary School in Opuwo.

Steenkamp explained that the construction and upgrading of school infrastructures aim to decongest classrooms and improve the quality of learning and teacher ratios.

“The overcrowding of classrooms weakens interaction between teachers and learners. Overcrowded classrooms also place significant strain on the available sanitation facilities and make classroom management more difficult for our teachers. Ultimately, overcrowding limits children’s opportunities to learn. We are aware of these challenges, and we are taking a strategic approach. As a Ministry, we have started what we call a decongestion plan, whereby we first identify schools with very large enrollments of 2,000 or more learners and prioritise them for intervention. We will focus on developing the necessary infrastructure at these schools first before moving on to other schools.”

Steenkamp called on the teaching staff to uphold the Strategic Plan on Excellence in Teaching and Learning and Equitable Access to Quality Education.

Kunene Education Director Sophia Ferdrieckis commended the construction of pre-primary classrooms with ablution facilities.

"I want to emphasise our desired outcomes and what those outcomes should be: school excellence, an admirable school culture, strong academic performance, and a positive learning environment where every child matters. Achieving these outcomes requires strong teamwork among staff members, school management, board committee members, and the wider community. I urge all of us to avoid conflicts and infighting, as they are the biggest enemies of progress in our region. Ultimately, our learners suffer the most from the consequences of these conflicts and internal divisions.”

Outjo Mayor Bartholomeus Aibeb thanked the government for the new schools.