The Andara District Environmental Health Officer has recommended the closure of the Omega Combined School until the flooding sewerage system is rectified.

Francois Mulonda assessed the situation at the school and found that it was a health hazard to the learners.

The school, situated in the Bwabwata National Park in the Mukwe Constituency, accommodates about 600 learners, the majority of them from the San Community.

The school's principal, Athanasius Ndumba, says the schools' septic tanks, which need to be emptied once a week, have not been emptied since August, 

The liquid waste is now pushing back from the system, and the kitchen is the most affected, with waste running under cooking pots.

Ndumba is concerned as the school cannot afford any interruptions as the teachers are preparing learners for the final examinations.

Apart from the sewer situation, the school is dilapidated and has become a danger to learners and teachers, says Ndumba.

Meanwhile, the Chief Education Officer responsible for the maintenance, Meinolf Hamutenya, says the situation at the Omega Combined School has been reported to the Regional Council as an emergency.

Hamutenya says a submission has been made, but it has to go through the procurement channels before the septic tank can be emptied.

He said Omega is not the only school affected by what he termed a long and cumbersome procurement system, as the septic tanks at schools need disposal on a weekly basis.

Most schools in the region are not connected to the sewer system and therefore use septic tanks, and this includes some schools within the Rundu local authority area.

Contacted for comment Kavango East Regional Public Relations Officer, Wilfred Nyambe, said the septic tank disposal request was received this week and is going through the normal procurement process.

Nyambe could however not say how long that process will take.