Ohangwena education directorate moves into new offices

…after paying N$400 000 per month for 11 years

After 11 years and five months, the Ohangwena education directorate has finally managed to move to its newly built offices at Eenhana, putting an end to a monthly rental fee of N$400 000.

For the past decade, the education directorate has been forking out N$400 000 a month in rental fees for office space at a privately owned complex at Eenhana, after it moved from Ondangwa in October 2012.

Although the N$52 million project was supposed to be completed by March 2019, it came to a standstill after the contractor failed to deliver within the prescribed period. The project was, however, handed over to August 26 Construction, which has now completed the project.

Speaking to The Namibian yesterday, Ohangwena education director Isack Hamatwi said although they are moving into a new building, the level of service delivery will remain the same.

Hamatwi said the only difference is that the directorate will no longer be paying rental fees.

“What we get from our ministry is a ceiling of N$190 million, and then it is up to us to allocate how much will go for renting,” Hamatwi said.

He said the money previously used to pay rent will now be used to make improvements regarding stationery allocations to schools and on eliminating a shortfall in hostel catering.

Hamatwi said the month of May will be the last month the directorate will pay rent. According to Hamatwi, the new building comprises about 80 offices, while the directorate has 150 employees. “They are also not enough, because, remember, it was planned 12 years ago when some positions were not created,” he said. Commenting on the 99% completion of the Ohangwena education directorate office, education, art and cutlure executive director Sanet Steenkamp said the completion of the project is good news to the ministry and displays the ministry’s commitment in terms of function decentralisation.

“I was a former director in the Ohangwena region and for this vision to come to reality is really an exciting thing for us. It demonstrates that we are one of the most active ministries in terms of decentralising functions to the regions, from primary, secondary, arts and culture and lifelong learning,” Steenkamp said. She said not paying rent means funds that were used on rent will be diverted to other pressing needs in the region.

OSHIKOTO DIRECTORATE STUCK IN OSHANA

The Oshikoto education directorate is still operating from Ondangwa, as there are no offices at Omuthiya.

According to a report by New Era last month, Oshikoto education director Aletta Eises said her office has received numerous complaints and requests for it to be moved from Ondangwa to the Oshikoto region.

Eises in 2016 said N$132 million was allocated towards constructing an office at Omuthiya in the Oshikoto region, but after considering the poor educational infrastructure in the region, they had opted to prioritise improving school premises for pupils instead.

Steenkamp said as the construction of the Ohangwena education directorate offices has been completed, the focus is now on the Oshikoto region.

“The construction of the Oshikoto education directorate offices is on our mid-term budget plan and is receiving the ministry’s attention,” she said.

Steenkamp told New Era that a feasibility study to construct an education directorate building in Omuthiya was conducted in 2016, but due to a moratorium on office block construction, priority was given to the Ohangwena region to finalise their offices first.

Steenkamp also said at Omuthiya, they have a museum, a library resource centre and the inspector’s office, which is the nearest point of entry under the regional council for education at Omuthiya.