Santam to the aid of FPS

Rudi Bowe 

The South African National Trust and Assurance Company Limited (Santam) has recently come to the aid of Flamingo Primary School (FPS)in Walvis Bay with a generous sponsor of N$150 000 to help with the completion of new class rooms at the school.
Flamingo Primary School is a Government school that caters for pupils from Pre-Primary to Grade 7 with English as the first medium language in the school. The cur-rent pupil count is 1200 pupils across all grades from the suburbs of Kui-sebmond, Narraville and Walvis Bay Proper.
In 2016, four additional class intakes were added to the Grade One intake of pupils by Government thus resulting in the Grade two classes having afternoon classes so that all the Grade One pupils could be accommodated.
Currently the Grade Two classes have all been moved to afternoon classes as the Grade One classes are seven classes again this year.
The Grade Two pupils having class in the afternoon have on various side factors that emits strain on the pupils, parents and teaching staff as listed below:
Pupils start school at 12:00 until 16:30 (resulting in a shortened school day).
Teachers have to share classrooms with the Grade One teachers (not being able to set up classroom to full capability for sensory teaching aids).
Parents have to arrange for super-vision for their children in the mornings as they are working.
Pupils do not par-take in mainstream school activities (Assembly, events) as they only attend school as they only attend school after these items are concluded.
Parents cannot arrange for extra tuition for pupils that need assistance as they are in school when these functions take place daily.
With the Government budgets there is no possibility of the classrooms for the Grade Two pupils to be built in the current school year.
It is with the above in mind that the school management and the parents of the Grade Two pupils have come up with a strategy to raise funds to enable the building of seven classrooms.
Each classroom will cost approximately N$200 000 for a complete build. It is against this back-ground that the parents are willing to assist physically with the build to lower costs and complete the class-rooms as soon as possible to bring the Grade Two pupils back to normality as these are eight year old children.
The needs for the project are as fol-lows: Monetary sponsorship for build and/or, Cement and/or, 6” Blocks and/or, Windows and/or, Doors and/or, Electrical supplies and/or, Plumbing supplies and/or, Building Sand and/or, Building pebbles and/or, Cement Mixer to hire for mixing of foundation/plastering and/or, Paint and/or Miscellaneous items (pain-ting trays, paint rollers, trowels etc.)
With the assistance of our parents, community and donors we have reached our halfway mark in constructing the classrooms.
Therefore, we humbly ask for your assistance for the above-mentioned needs for our class-rooms.
The school takes this time and opportunity to thank your company for the interest shown in the well-being of our pupils.
With the little money that was raised and small contribution from parents and a Fifty Thousand Namibian Dollars contribution each from the Erongo Marine Enterprise’s Harambee Trust and the MERLUS Seafood Processors in Walvis Bay respectively the school management started with the building of the classrooms that will assist with in influx of learners at the school.
“We as the Flamingo Primary community would like to thank the Erongo Harambee Trust, MERLUS Seafood Processors, Kuisebmund Social Club, parents and the community that contributed to the construction of the classrooms at the school” the Principal added.
Ms Damens mentioned that they would love to finish the construction of the classrooms still this year to accommodate the learners when the school reopens next year.
Therefore plea to the parents of Flamingo Primary School, the business fraternity and other organisations in Walvis Bay and the whole country to help with the completion of the classrooms as the Government cannot do it alone but if we all join hands in helping schools, communities and the country at large as the children and the youth are the future of this nation and Education is the key in today’s world.