Rundu – Loide Shaanika, Secretary General of the Namibia National Teachers Union (Nantu), declared the ablution facilities at Ndama Junior Primary School worse than prison cells during a recent assessment prompted by media reports.

According to Namibia Press Agency, the assessment was conducted alongside officials from the Ministry of Health and Social Services and the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture following reports that learners had resorted to relieving themselves in the school yard due to non-functional toilets and a lack of water. Shaanika, deeply troubled by the conditions observed, remarked, "Waiting for two weeks for people to relieve themselves before the tanks are emptied is inhumane. Not even a prison cell looks like what I've seen here."

During her visit, school management informed Shaanika that the septic tanks are emptied every two weeks, a practice she criticized as grossly inadequate for the health and well-being of the school’s 1,300 learners. Shaanika emphasized that the working and learning environment for teachers and students was unacceptable and demanded immediate improvements from the educational authorities.

Shaanika also criticized the lengthy bureaucratic processes within the Ministry of Education concerning the procurement of essential services, highlighting the inefficient system that hampers timely maintenance and support for schools. She proposed that schools like Ndama should be connected to the town’s main sewer system to prevent such issues in the future, noting that reliance on septic tanks is outdated and inappropriate 34 years after Namibia’s independence.

Additionally, the Director of Education in the Kavango East Region, Christine Shilima, responded to the crisis by suspending classes at Ndama Junior Primary School until further notice. She pledged to expedite the process of securing a bidder to manage the septic tanks more effectively.