Oshakati parents search for school places

Parents are advised to look for alternative schools in the Oshakati circuit as places for admission in the best-performing schools have become almost impossible to find. Yesterday, some Oshakati parents were still trying to enrol their children. A head of department at the Oshakati West Primary School, Mathew Taapopi, said parents kept showing up at the school but were advised to look for alternative schools. Taapopi said more than 300 learners were on a waiting list at the school. He said he was disappointed by some parents who blame the school for their misfortune when they are informed that there is no space available. “They ask us why we gave them the forms to apply while we know we don’t have enough spaces to accommodate the learners,” he said. According to Taapopi more than 600 applications were received for grade one but only 35 places were available. When asked why so many parents want to enrol their children at the school, he said it is because of the quality of education the school provides. Oshakati West Primary School is regarded as one of the best primary schools in the Oshakati circuit. Erundu Combined School principal Pinehas Shipena said although schools do not want to turn down parents, there is a limited number of classes and teachers and it is a situation beyond their control. Shipena said because Erundu Combined School and Oshakati West Primary school are the only schools in the area offering Afrikaans and Oshindonga as second languages, parents coming from other towns first consider these schools. He urged for more classes to be built and more Afrikaans language teachers to be employed. “It is rare to find Afrikaans teachers nowadays,” he said. Both Taapopi and Shipena said the teaching staff and management teams of their school were ready to provide quality education this year. KENYA KAMBOWE