Trees, shacks as classrooms at Rundu govt school
Over 10 makeshift classrooms
The school is also grappling with a lack of sanitation facilities, with only one ablution block that caters to more than 1 400 learners.
Many learners at Joy Mungungu Senior Primary School in Rundu are still being taught under trees, tents and makeshift shacks as the school battles an overwhelming shortage of classrooms.
Located in the Tumeneni informal settlement of Rundu, the school has recorded a sharp uptick in enrolments, with 1 408 learners registered in 2025 – up from just over 800 in 2024. The available infrastructure has failed to keep up with this growth.
According to school principal Annely Masambo, government has only constructed 15 classrooms, which are barely enough to accommodate learners from pre-primary to Grade 3.
“The classrooms are not enough. The 15 built by government only cater to the lower grades," the principal said.
A recent Namibian Sun visit to the school confirmed that more than 10 makeshift classrooms have been set up in an attempt to accommodate the growing population of learners, exposing children to harsh weather conditions and discomfort.
Three junior primary classes are held outside, and from grades 4 to 7, learners are taught under a tent or trees.
"We are currently short of 15 classrooms,” Masambo said.
Risks, achievements
Adding to the school’s challenges is the lack of proper sanitation facilities. “We only have one ablution block, which cannot cater for all 1 408 learners. We are in dire need of at least two more ablution blocks,” Masambo stressed.
Despite these hurdles, she pointed out that the school has shown noteworthy academic progress. “We reached 50% of our performance target last year, which is an improvement from the 43% we had the previous year.”
In another positive development, the school has strengthened its teaching staff with the addition of five new teachers, all graduates from the University of Namibia (Unam).
“All the new staff members are young and fresh from Unam. At least the government made an effort to bring in staff. We are now 32 in total and are still waiting for more posts to be advertised,” she added.
The school has called on donors and stakeholders to step in and assist in improving the learning environment for the learners.
Located in the Tumeneni informal settlement of Rundu, the school has recorded a sharp uptick in enrolments, with 1 408 learners registered in 2025 – up from just over 800 in 2024. The available infrastructure has failed to keep up with this growth.
According to school principal Annely Masambo, government has only constructed 15 classrooms, which are barely enough to accommodate learners from pre-primary to Grade 3.
“The classrooms are not enough. The 15 built by government only cater to the lower grades," the principal said.
A recent Namibian Sun visit to the school confirmed that more than 10 makeshift classrooms have been set up in an attempt to accommodate the growing population of learners, exposing children to harsh weather conditions and discomfort.
Three junior primary classes are held outside, and from grades 4 to 7, learners are taught under a tent or trees.
"We are currently short of 15 classrooms,” Masambo said.
Risks, achievements
Adding to the school’s challenges is the lack of proper sanitation facilities. “We only have one ablution block, which cannot cater for all 1 408 learners. We are in dire need of at least two more ablution blocks,” Masambo stressed.
Despite these hurdles, she pointed out that the school has shown noteworthy academic progress. “We reached 50% of our performance target last year, which is an improvement from the 43% we had the previous year.”
In another positive development, the school has strengthened its teaching staff with the addition of five new teachers, all graduates from the University of Namibia (Unam).
“All the new staff members are young and fresh from Unam. At least the government made an effort to bring in staff. We are now 32 in total and are still waiting for more posts to be advertised,” she added.
The school has called on donors and stakeholders to step in and assist in improving the learning environment for the learners.
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