The Education Director in the Omusati Region, Benny Eiseb, is concerned about water shortages being experienced at a number of schools in the region.
Eiseb informed the Prime Minister, who was in the region to assess service delivery, that 40 schools in the region were facing water shortages.
Some schools are sharing water from community boreholes with schools that have no source of water. However, the tires of the car, which the directorate uses to take water to schools, are worn out.
"The water problem in Omusati is not only a problem at our schools, it is in the whole region because of the water pressure and some sources where the community gets water. It is a challenge because the directorate of education is not responsible for water provision, we are responsible for teaching and learning."
In addition, the directorate has more than N$20 million in outstanding invoices for water, electricity, and catering for hostels and school feeding programs.
Currently, the Outapi public library is completely cut off from water and electricity because the directorate could not settle its bills due to financial constraints.
The directorate received warning letters from Okahao and Ruacana town councils to settle their water bills or face disconnected water to their schools and hostels.
Local authorities are also finding it difficult to operate optimally because of unsettled debts by public institutions.
"The ministries of education, health, and others, 99% of those institutions are not paying for their services, and it's draining our financial position. I am therefore appealing to the office of the PM to please assist us in this regard," confirmed Junias Jakob, CEO of the Okahao Town Council.
Water shortages have been worsened by the rehabilitation of the Oshakati/Calueque canal.
Some councilors also informed the Prime Minister that the drought relief food is insufficient and does not accommodate all the affected households.
Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa Amadhila responded to some of the issues raised.
"When it comes to things like disconnection of water supplies to government institutions, I think that is a typical form of poor coordination because, for now, you have children in the same household. In the government, there are those that deal with this funding and those that deal with service delivery, so the situation that is happening is poor coordination. I can just imagine the children in the hostel without water. All of you are right, there are some shortfalls somewhere."
"The Acting CRO and the ED of the OPM, let us follow up on this information that has been provided; we hope that it has been channeled through the regional council, but the key here is that this must be a combined income of not more than N$2600, and it must be in a subsistence-dependent area," she said.