The rise of a project school
The Monte Christo Primary Project School is serving a community with limited facilities.
Elizabeth Ngurimuje Murangi, principal of Monte Christo Primary Project School in Havana on the outskirts of Windhoek, shared with The Zone the scope of projects schools and how they are administered.
According to Murangi, a project school is a school that is started when there is lack of places for grade 1 and grade 8 learners. “Project schools are primarily started to accommodate those learners who fail to secure placement at different schools, and that is how Monte Christo Primary Project School was also started,” said Murangi.
The school was founded in 2016 with 210 learners, six teachers and two institutional workers. Murangi narrated that the school started with six tents and received two containerised classrooms in the second term of its inception. “Before we received the two containerised classrooms from the Ohlthaver & List Group, we used to make use of classrooms at Moses //Garoëb Project School,” said Murangi.
Being a relatively young school, Murangi said some of the challenges that the school faces includes lack of electricity. Murangi said because of lack of electricity at the school, the school still uses facilities at Moses
//Garoëb Project School to get school work done. “We print report cards of our learners at Moses //Garoëb Project School or sometimes at the councillor's office,” she said. Murangi also added that another challenge is the limited space at the school. Murangi maintains that the school is in a confined area and there is inadequate space for learners to take part in sports. “Due to the limited space at the school the physical education period at our school is badly affected,” she said.
Estelle Hochobes, a teacher at Monte Christo Primary Project School also added that other challenges that the school faces includes some teachers still teaching in tent classrooms. “Tent classrooms absorb heat and they are dusty which is not good for books,” said Hochobes. Hochobes also said the fact that there is no electricity at the school, it hampers teaching and learning as some teaching aids requires electricity.
Despite these challenges, Murangi is happy with the support the school gets from the government and the private sector. “The government is very supportive and all these challenges are temporary because there is a spacious plot secured in the same settlement,” said Murangi. She added that last year, the school received support from the private sector. “Last year the same company that donated containerised classrooms also donated school bags to our learners,” said Murangi.
The principal commended the involvement of parents in the learners school work. Murangi said parents of the learners at the school always respond positively when the school requests their input. “The parents are concerned and very much involved in the education of their kids which makes it easier for us as teachers,” said Murangi.
She said compared to tent classrooms, containerised classrooms are convenient and they are strong. “Although these containerised classrooms are not permanent structures, they are suitable for learning as they are more or less the same with permanent structures.” Although she did not share when the school is expecting to have permanent structures built, Murangi maintains that the school will not allow the lack of permanent buildings to impact negatively the academic performance of the learners. “We have to make use of the little that we have and excel regardless of our challenges,” Murangi said with conviction.
MICHAEL KAYUNDE
According to Murangi, a project school is a school that is started when there is lack of places for grade 1 and grade 8 learners. “Project schools are primarily started to accommodate those learners who fail to secure placement at different schools, and that is how Monte Christo Primary Project School was also started,” said Murangi.
The school was founded in 2016 with 210 learners, six teachers and two institutional workers. Murangi narrated that the school started with six tents and received two containerised classrooms in the second term of its inception. “Before we received the two containerised classrooms from the Ohlthaver & List Group, we used to make use of classrooms at Moses //Garoëb Project School,” said Murangi.
Being a relatively young school, Murangi said some of the challenges that the school faces includes lack of electricity. Murangi said because of lack of electricity at the school, the school still uses facilities at Moses
//Garoëb Project School to get school work done. “We print report cards of our learners at Moses //Garoëb Project School or sometimes at the councillor's office,” she said. Murangi also added that another challenge is the limited space at the school. Murangi maintains that the school is in a confined area and there is inadequate space for learners to take part in sports. “Due to the limited space at the school the physical education period at our school is badly affected,” she said.
Estelle Hochobes, a teacher at Monte Christo Primary Project School also added that other challenges that the school faces includes some teachers still teaching in tent classrooms. “Tent classrooms absorb heat and they are dusty which is not good for books,” said Hochobes. Hochobes also said the fact that there is no electricity at the school, it hampers teaching and learning as some teaching aids requires electricity.
Despite these challenges, Murangi is happy with the support the school gets from the government and the private sector. “The government is very supportive and all these challenges are temporary because there is a spacious plot secured in the same settlement,” said Murangi. She added that last year, the school received support from the private sector. “Last year the same company that donated containerised classrooms also donated school bags to our learners,” said Murangi.
The principal commended the involvement of parents in the learners school work. Murangi said parents of the learners at the school always respond positively when the school requests their input. “The parents are concerned and very much involved in the education of their kids which makes it easier for us as teachers,” said Murangi.
She said compared to tent classrooms, containerised classrooms are convenient and they are strong. “Although these containerised classrooms are not permanent structures, they are suitable for learning as they are more or less the same with permanent structures.” Although she did not share when the school is expecting to have permanent structures built, Murangi maintains that the school will not allow the lack of permanent buildings to impact negatively the academic performance of the learners. “We have to make use of the little that we have and excel regardless of our challenges,” Murangi said with conviction.
MICHAEL KAYUNDE
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