Fire sets back JP Brand Primary School's upgrade plans
'Extremely grateful that no one got hurt'
The school is urging local businesses and community members to provide assistance to replace lost belongings and help the school rebuild following the fire.
The JP Brand Primary School, located in Utuseb, about 50 kilometres outside Walvis Bay, suffered a setback when part of their accommodation block burned down, along with a storeroom, last week.
The razed accommodation block housed the matron and schoolchildren and the storeroom contained textbooks.
School principal Anna Maldrid Josti said that they are not sure what led to the fire.
“There was a lot of screaming, and I initially thought that someone was fighting until one of the learners came running into my office screaming that there was a fire. The matron only managed to grab the bed and the television, and when they wanted to grab some more items, the fire had already spread.”
Community members assisted in extinguishing the fire until the Walvis Bay fire brigade arrived.
“We are just extremely grateful that no one got hurt – it could have been so much worse. We suspended classes on Friday, and the ministry psychologist visited and suggested that the burned-down area be covered or that the debris be removed, as it’s been a traumatic experience for the learners.”
Water pressures
Josti added that the school also deals with a shortage of water.
“The pipes of NamWater are very old, and the water pressure has been reduced – if the pressure isn’t reduced, the pipes are prone to burst and we will not have water for a day or two.”
She said a proper structure needs to be built for the matron, as she is the one who looks after the grade one to three learners.
The school accommodates 284 learners, who all stay in the hostel.
“Even the children from Utuseb, we require them to stay in the hostel to ensure that they are properly taken care of and also to avoid problems of absenteeism.”
Upgrade setback
Josti said plans to replace windows have been affected by the fire.
“But this fire has set us back on our plans. We need to now concentrate on how to clear the debris, where to temporarily accommodate the matron, and sort out the girls’ hostel accommodation block as there is no electricity in that block at the moment. Our focus is now to get the place back to normal so that we can assist the children in forgetting this traumatic event.”
She called on the business community and the surrounding community to assist the school.
“We have two schoolgirls who lost their uniforms in the fire, we lost a number of school books, which are already a challenge to acquire and we need to continue with our envisioned plans.”
She added: “This school has the potential to do academically very well, with the needed support.”
Better opportunities
Josti added that the school has plans to expand from a primary school up to grade 11.
“When I arrived here, I realised that a lot of the community kids drop out of school when they go to high school. The learners are based in Utuseb, with no one in Walvis Bay to go to, and they have to resort to finding hostel accommodation in Swakopmund, where there is only one hostel. Other options are then Omaruru, Usakos or Okambahe.”
Plans for the expansion have already been drawn up.
“We are hoping and will appreciate the assistance to help these kids. We have a lot of youth in our community who could have been productive citizens if given the opportunity. If we are able to give these kids the chance to complete their school career, I am sure that will be the case.”
The razed accommodation block housed the matron and schoolchildren and the storeroom contained textbooks.
School principal Anna Maldrid Josti said that they are not sure what led to the fire.
“There was a lot of screaming, and I initially thought that someone was fighting until one of the learners came running into my office screaming that there was a fire. The matron only managed to grab the bed and the television, and when they wanted to grab some more items, the fire had already spread.”
Community members assisted in extinguishing the fire until the Walvis Bay fire brigade arrived.
“We are just extremely grateful that no one got hurt – it could have been so much worse. We suspended classes on Friday, and the ministry psychologist visited and suggested that the burned-down area be covered or that the debris be removed, as it’s been a traumatic experience for the learners.”
Water pressures
Josti added that the school also deals with a shortage of water.
“The pipes of NamWater are very old, and the water pressure has been reduced – if the pressure isn’t reduced, the pipes are prone to burst and we will not have water for a day or two.”
She said a proper structure needs to be built for the matron, as she is the one who looks after the grade one to three learners.
The school accommodates 284 learners, who all stay in the hostel.
“Even the children from Utuseb, we require them to stay in the hostel to ensure that they are properly taken care of and also to avoid problems of absenteeism.”
Upgrade setback
Josti said plans to replace windows have been affected by the fire.
“But this fire has set us back on our plans. We need to now concentrate on how to clear the debris, where to temporarily accommodate the matron, and sort out the girls’ hostel accommodation block as there is no electricity in that block at the moment. Our focus is now to get the place back to normal so that we can assist the children in forgetting this traumatic event.”
She called on the business community and the surrounding community to assist the school.
“We have two schoolgirls who lost their uniforms in the fire, we lost a number of school books, which are already a challenge to acquire and we need to continue with our envisioned plans.”
She added: “This school has the potential to do academically very well, with the needed support.”
Better opportunities
Josti added that the school has plans to expand from a primary school up to grade 11.
“When I arrived here, I realised that a lot of the community kids drop out of school when they go to high school. The learners are based in Utuseb, with no one in Walvis Bay to go to, and they have to resort to finding hostel accommodation in Swakopmund, where there is only one hostel. Other options are then Omaruru, Usakos or Okambahe.”
Plans for the expansion have already been drawn up.
“We are hoping and will appreciate the assistance to help these kids. We have a lot of youth in our community who could have been productive citizens if given the opportunity. If we are able to give these kids the chance to complete their school career, I am sure that will be the case.”
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