Teachers raise alarm over worm-infested toilets at Rundu school
Authorities ‘waiting’ for reports before taking action
Teachers who spoke to Namibian Sun say their concerns about the deplorable and deteriorating state of the bathrooms have fallen on deaf ears.
Teachers and learners at Rundu's recently divided Keehemu Primary School, now split into Jafet Haiyambo and Hompa Sophia Mundjembwe, both of which still share the same toilet facilities, say their urgent concerns and complaints about unhygienic and hazardous conditions have fallen on deaf ears.
A teacher, who spoke to Namibian Sun on the condition of anonymity, described the situation as untenable.
"Since last September, the situation has escalated significantly. As of now, there are worms in the toilet pots. The water supply, which should enable the toilets to flush properly, is not functioning. Despite numerous attempts to get the regional office's attention, our efforts have yielded no results. We were merely redirected to the works and transport ministry," he said.
"There are over 80 staff members at this combined school, which the government decided to separate into two institutions. While the schools have been separated on paper, they remain practically combined due to resource constraints. As a result, we share the same premises, which places a heavy burden on the limited toilet facilities," he added.
The source said 40 male teachers currently share one toilet, while 40 women share another.
"Each toilet has only two functioning pots, creating a major challenge. When two teachers are using the toilet, the remaining 38 have to wait. In emergencies, the situation becomes even more difficult. Many teachers have chosen to avoid using these facilities due to their unhygienic state, leaving the learners to bear the brunt of this crisis," he said.
Concerns ‘dismissed’
Another teacher said the presence of worms in the toilet pots poses a serious health hazard, yet claimed that school leadership seems indifferent, allegedly suggesting that learners will not suffer severe consequences from this situation.
"Despite raising these concerns repeatedly during staff briefings, our grievances are dismissed. It appears that action will only be taken when a learner suffers severe health complications".
The teacher said they hope that by spotlighting their concerns and frustrations to the public, "relevant stakeholders and authorities will take notice and act," adding that it is likely that if the current state of the toilets is inspected, the school would be shut down.
The teachers noted that representatives from the ministry visited last year and performed minor maintenance; however, conditions have only worsened since then.
"The two school principals have been involved in addressing this issue, but as a branch executive committee member for the Rundu circuit, I can confirm that the matter has not been resolved," the teacher said.
Awaiting report
On Wednesday, acting regional education director Emilie Sitentu spoke with Namibian Sun and acknowledged awareness of the situation.
"We received the report on Tuesday afternoon and sent our inspectors to assess it this morning. For now, we will be awaiting their report. I also understand that the town council will be at the school for an assessment on Tuesday or Wednesday. It appears there is low water pressure. Regarding our actions thus far, we have sent inspectors while we await further information," Sitentu said.
The regional chairperson of the Namibia National Teachers' Union (Nantu) in Kavango East, Peter Kashumali, said they are also waiting for the report.
"I only saw some concerning pictures; I will review everything once I receive the full report and then determine what actions to take. It is primarily the minister or regional directorate that should take action. Our role has been to follow up since we visited four schools last time: Ndama (the one we closed), Ndama JP, Kaisosi, Sarsungu and Jafet Haiyambo, which has now been combined with Sophia Mundjembwe," he said.
"We returned to see if any actions were taken following our previous visit. Unfortunately, the report for Jafet Haiyambo is quite negative. I’m waiting for my colleague to provide me with all the details so we can decide whether to recommend another closure or take other actions," he added.
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A teacher, who spoke to Namibian Sun on the condition of anonymity, described the situation as untenable.
"Since last September, the situation has escalated significantly. As of now, there are worms in the toilet pots. The water supply, which should enable the toilets to flush properly, is not functioning. Despite numerous attempts to get the regional office's attention, our efforts have yielded no results. We were merely redirected to the works and transport ministry," he said.
"There are over 80 staff members at this combined school, which the government decided to separate into two institutions. While the schools have been separated on paper, they remain practically combined due to resource constraints. As a result, we share the same premises, which places a heavy burden on the limited toilet facilities," he added.
The source said 40 male teachers currently share one toilet, while 40 women share another.
"Each toilet has only two functioning pots, creating a major challenge. When two teachers are using the toilet, the remaining 38 have to wait. In emergencies, the situation becomes even more difficult. Many teachers have chosen to avoid using these facilities due to their unhygienic state, leaving the learners to bear the brunt of this crisis," he said.
Concerns ‘dismissed’
Another teacher said the presence of worms in the toilet pots poses a serious health hazard, yet claimed that school leadership seems indifferent, allegedly suggesting that learners will not suffer severe consequences from this situation.
"Despite raising these concerns repeatedly during staff briefings, our grievances are dismissed. It appears that action will only be taken when a learner suffers severe health complications".
The teacher said they hope that by spotlighting their concerns and frustrations to the public, "relevant stakeholders and authorities will take notice and act," adding that it is likely that if the current state of the toilets is inspected, the school would be shut down.
The teachers noted that representatives from the ministry visited last year and performed minor maintenance; however, conditions have only worsened since then.
"The two school principals have been involved in addressing this issue, but as a branch executive committee member for the Rundu circuit, I can confirm that the matter has not been resolved," the teacher said.
Awaiting report
On Wednesday, acting regional education director Emilie Sitentu spoke with Namibian Sun and acknowledged awareness of the situation.
"We received the report on Tuesday afternoon and sent our inspectors to assess it this morning. For now, we will be awaiting their report. I also understand that the town council will be at the school for an assessment on Tuesday or Wednesday. It appears there is low water pressure. Regarding our actions thus far, we have sent inspectors while we await further information," Sitentu said.
The regional chairperson of the Namibia National Teachers' Union (Nantu) in Kavango East, Peter Kashumali, said they are also waiting for the report.
"I only saw some concerning pictures; I will review everything once I receive the full report and then determine what actions to take. It is primarily the minister or regional directorate that should take action. Our role has been to follow up since we visited four schools last time: Ndama (the one we closed), Ndama JP, Kaisosi, Sarsungu and Jafet Haiyambo, which has now been combined with Sophia Mundjembwe," he said.
"We returned to see if any actions were taken following our previous visit. Unfortunately, the report for Jafet Haiyambo is quite negative. I’m waiting for my colleague to provide me with all the details so we can decide whether to recommend another closure or take other actions," he added.
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