02 Feb 2022

Boarding facilities in some schools in the Tutume region are congested and in need of more hostels.

In an interview with the acting chief education officer in the region, Ms Sethatho Job on Tuesday, she explained that John Nswazwi Junior Secondary School in Marapong and Goshwe needed to be decongested.

Currently , she said Goshwe boys’ hostel has a carrying capacity of 96 but it has accommodated 175 learners, while John Nswazwi school’s boys and girls hostels which accommodate 48 learners each had exceeded the number to accommodate 110 boys and 111 girls.

Ms Job said in order to address the congestion at both schools’ hostels, they restructured the hostel verandas by turning them into rooms, but the move managed to create space for four students only, leaving the rest still in need of accommodation.

She nonetheless noted that they had been in constant consultation with the superiors to help them come up with address the problem.

She said they even proposed that boarding hostels be constructed at Nkange Junior School to help reduce congestion problems.

Furthermore, she pointed out that they had a similar situation at Nxakato Junior Secondary School in Sowa town and the Ministry of Basic Education assisted them by providing two prefabricated hostels and three caravans.

Ms Job also highlighted that Sua Junior Secondary School hostels for both boys and girls could accommodate 120 students each, but they have 80 boys and 107 girls, leaving some space unoccupied. She explained that the ministry had in the past made an arrangement to build a two block classroom at the school as it faced shortage of classrooms.

However, she expressed disappointment that the contractor that was engaged to undertake the project had long abandoned it.

Ms Job said if the classroom block was completed, some students accommodated in crowded hostels in other schools would had been moved there.

On other issues, Ms Job said they faced challenges of school dropouts, particularly students from Nata, Manxotae and Sepako among others.

She explained that in May last year, they registered 10 students who dropped out of school. She also raised a concern about teenage pregnancy, saying that the school had recorded  two cases iof pregnancy. Ends