A primary school in the Nyae Nyae area in Tsumkwe has recorded notable progress less than a year after it was relocated from ||Aru to ǂAma and upgraded from a village school to a fully fledged primary school.

According to acting principal Festus Soroab, the relocation and upgrade are intended to bring education closer to learners in the area.

Soroab said the school's previous location in ||Aru faced several challenges, including limited accommodation for learners and teachers, as well as transportation difficulties. 

These challenges, he explained, contributed to some learners dropping out of school.

"The challenges at ||Aru included the learners' strong desire to attend school; however, they faced significant struggles with accommodation. Additionally, food access was a challenge, and teachers also encountered difficulties with transportation and housing. Consequently, enrolment numbers remained consistently low due to these accommodation issues, which hindered many children from attending school."

According to Soroab, the school now has over 170 learners, with its 100-capacity hostel fully occupied. Although learners struggled in the first term, their performance improved in the second term, with some attaining A and B grades.

“The upper grade actually wrote examinations that were set up in a circuit-based way, and people were asking, ‘How will they perform if the question papers come from other teachers? There will be many learners failing.’ But they have done it. There were A’s and B’s, and they did very well. So, I think we are getting there. Within the first year, we already have A’s and so on. I believe that once we reach the third year, things will settle, and all these learners will perform very well.”

ǂAma Primary School offers Ju|'hoansie as the first language for learners from grades 1-4. All subjects for learners in grades 1-4 are taught in Ju|'hoansi.

Soroab praised the government's initiatives to make education more accessible to communities. However, he emphasised that additional support from the private sector is essential to complement these efforts, especially as the school continues to expand.