The Groendraai Primary School, located on the outskirts of Rehoboth, is the most recent school to benefit from MTC's Rural School Project.

Constructed 71 years ago on privately owned farmland, this rural school serves 225 learners.

Prior to MTC's Rural School Project intervention, the classrooms were in a dire state.

According to the school principal, Charlton Rickerts, students are squeezed into classrooms, exacerbating the challenges posed by varying weather conditions.

"The corrugated iron structures in summer are very hot. The other class has open areas, and when it rains, it goes through the classrooms, so every morning, during rainy seasons, we have to clean up first before we can teach. The wind always blows, and the windows are broken. It's also very cold."

Groendraai Primary School starts at 08:00, which is half an hour later than the majority of schools. This schedule adjustment is made to accommodate learners residing on surrounding farms.

"We end at 14:00, and then we have afternoon classes continuing until 16:00." Sometimes we even teach until 20:00 or 21:00 at night, just to get in the work due to the fact that we don't have enough classrooms."

Thanks to MTC's Rural School Project, the challenges of late-night teaching and cramped learning spaces at Groendraai Primary School have become a thing of the past.

The school has been provided with four additional classrooms and a storeroom, which are valued at over N$1.2 million.

"What we are doing with this project is going to rural schools and upgrading the facilities. We ask them how many classrooms they acquire, and then we basically build those for them so that the children can receive education in a conducive environment. We would go to the region and ask the regional educational directors what the neediest schools are in the region. For Hardap, Groendraai was identified. Groendraai needed about four classrooms and a store room, which is what we delivered here."

MTC's Tim Ekandjo is urging potential partners to join efforts in reducing the classroom backlog in the country.