by Taati Niilenge
PRE-SCHOOL owners at the coast say the extension of the lockdown to the whole of Erongo region has plunged them into a financial crisis as they are unable to continue their business ventures.
Several
pre-school owners who spoke to The Namibian yesterday urged the
Ministry of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication and Child Welfare to
come to their aid as they have been unable to earn any income over the
past three months of the lockdown.
The announcement of the
lockdown extension means that the re-opening of their centres, also
known as early childhood development centres (ECDs), will be delayed for
another month.
Joyce Ndahafa who owns a pre-school at Walvis
Bay, says she is worried about where her next meal will come from,
especially because she has been struggling to pay rent. Ndahafa, and
other pre-school teachers who spoke to The Namibian yesterday, said they
do not want to reveal the names of their pre-schools for fear of
victimisation by the government.
“We understand the [lockdown]
situation. Our children need to be protected. If there is danger out
there, we would not even allow our own children to go to school. The
point is that nobody has come to our aid since the first lockdown.
“Everybody
forgot about pre-schools. Some people have at least been getting food
relief, but no ministry has been thinking about us. What will happen now
that the lockdown is extended? We are suffering financially,” lamented
Ndahafa, who has been working as a pre-school teacher for 10 years.
She says with no income, she has fallen behind on her account payments.
Another pre-school owner, Martha Erastus, says she is also struggling to feed her family.
“I
would expect the ministry of gender to come to our aid, but this
ministry has abandoned us completely. Other ministries are taking care
of their people. Where is this ministry?” asked Erastus.
EDC
owner Rachel Agustinus says she is struggling to pay rent for her
pre-school. She has urged the government to come to their rescue.
The pre-school owners are also unhappy that they have mainly been receiving messages to keep their classes clean and sanitised.
They
say the gender ministry sends out these messages despite knowing that
pre-schools are under lockdown. They also say that representatives in
the regions have not been answering their queries. Another owner of a
pre-school, Maria Shiimi says even if they are informed to buy hand
sanitisers when their businesses are allowed to operate, they have no
money to do so.
Pre-school owner Eastus Shiwaya said the gender
ministry has abandoned them for too long. “The least they can do is send
thermometers and sanitisers to every centre. Where do they expect us to
get them from? We are down to nothing,” said Shiwaya.
According
to the gender ministry’s spokesperson, Lukas Haufiku, ECDs are
privately-owned business ventures. He said they are operated as income
generating activities, unlike public schools which are solely the
responsibility of the government.
“This is an essential service
to the nation. Government, through the ministry, offers materials for
construction, learning and sets the standard for learning and
stimulation through the ECD policy, as well as provides an allowance to
some ECD edu-carers.
“Nonetheless, we recognise the plight of
ECD owners, especially the community-owned ones that are hardest hit by
the pandemic. The ministry, with development partners, is conducting a
survey to determine the extent and devise the long term response to
Covid-19 as its impact will be felt for the foreseeable future,” he
said. He urged the centres that are going to open soon to strictly
adhere to the Covid-19 health protocols, as the health of the nation
cannot be compromised.
