Hostel learners at Omuhonga Combined School and Otjikoto Primary School in the Epupa circuit in the Kunene Region will benefit from a N.dollars 94 000 donation from MTC.

This came after a request for support from the two schools reached MTC in March as the pupils slept on the floor.

In a media statement availed to Nampa, MTC stated that the donation is to be used to purchase 120 mattresses and pillows for each of the schools.

“While some hostels have beds, some who do not have mattresses simply use boxes to sleep on; this is not right. We then had internal discussions to raise funds from our salaries to see how we could assist these learners with the little we have,” MTC Corporate communications practitioner, Fikameni Mathias said.

Mathias stated that it cannot be right that “we as a country have accepted that deplorable hostel states should be normal in rural areas” but expect competitive academic results nationally.

The Ojikoto school principal, Kavendji van der Merwe stated that his school mostly takes in children from marginalised communities and it is already difficult to keep these learners in school.

“When conditions in the hostel are not conductive, learners can use it as an excuse to stay away from school,” Van der Merwe stated.

MTC Cares, which is an employee-led initiative aimed at assisting communities with funds voluntarily contributed by MTC employees on a monthly basis, has done similar humanitarian donations with assisting leprosy patients in Omashare, sanitary pads for learners in Koës, and providing food for the Men on the Side of the Road ptoject in Windhoek, the statement read.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency