BIG Pilot Project - Assessment Report - BIG Coalition Namibia

2.11 Educationschool feeding scheme but sometimes there is nopap. Sometimes they get some meat, about once aweek, but there are no vegetables or fruit.”Another problem was the parents’ inability to pay theschool fees of N$ 50 per year, due to their poverty.Teachers also pointed out the difficulty of enforcingchildren to wear school uniforms:“Some children don’t have school uniforms at all,others have uniforms of other schools. We tried tosolve this problem in 2005 but we could not.”Teachers were aware of the many problems that theirlearnerss had to confront, including the difficulty offinding a place to study and read after school. Thereforethey introduced study time at school in the afternoonswhich helped some of the students. However, the rootcause of the problem was identified by the school'steachers:“Unemployment and poverty are the causes of mostproblems. For the young people, grade 7 at ourschool has become like their matric. Some go forfurther schooling but some return after just oneterm. They lack the discipline, or the money, ordon’t find a place in the hostel. Some also struggleto adjust to life in bigger places. Because of unemployment,the parents can’t afford to send their childrenfor further schooling.”“Some childrendon'thave schooluniforms atall, othershave uniformsofotherschools. Wetried tosolve thisproblem in2005, butwe couldnot”. (BeforeBIG)The BIG has a very positive influence on the educationalcircumstances of children in Otjivero-Omitara.The school teacher described the changes as follows:There are changes at the school even though nothundred percent changes. Some of the changescannot happen overnight. (...) Most of them are havingschool uniforms, blue shirts, their grey shortsand shirts. They even have shoes. (...) The parentsare even giving the teachers some N$ 50 sayingbuy my child some shoes when you go to town. (...)Even when you look at them [the children] they are“Most of[the children]arehavingschool uniforms,blueshirts, theirgrey shortsand shirts.They evenhaveshoes.”.(Teacher -with BIG)65