Sostenus Wilherm
Parents of learners at Ebenezer Royal Primary School in the Omuthiya Circuit have been instructed to remove their children from the institution on Tuesday after the ministry of education, innovation, youth, sport, arts and culture ordered its immediate closure, saying the school had been operating without registration since 2022.
The closure comes just days after the school’s former administrator, 42-year-old Franz Johannes, appeared in the Omuthiya Magistrate’s Court on seven counts of rape involving children aged between five and 10 years.
Education and gender ministry officials met parents on Tuesday, informing them that the school was operating illegally and directed them to enrol their children at nearby state schools. Authorities also ordered that children staying at the school’s hostel be removed immediately.
The alleged abuse only came to light last week after one of the young learners confided in teachers, prompting police investigations and government intervention.
Johannes is accused of raping six minors on different occasions, with some of the alleged incidents said to have taken place at the school’s hostel, where his wife is employed as a matron.
He made his first court appearance on Monday and was remanded in custody after the State opposed bail. The matter was postponed to 12 October for further police investigations.
Oshikoto education director Hilma Nuunyango-George said ministry officials were dispatched to establish the facts following the allegations.
“I dispatched a team of officials to visit the school to find facts, and it was found that the school is operating without registration from the ministry, offering pre-primary to Grade 4. This school is also providing hostel accommodation to learners,” Nuunyango-George said.
She said the ministry immediately issued a directive ordering the school to stop operating.
“We have issued a directive for the school to stop operating. We also consulted all the parents of these learners to inform them that the school is not registered and that they need to take the children out of the hostel and out of the school,” she added.
She said the ministry would ensure that all affected learners are accommodated at public schools.
“What we are going to do is ensure that all these children who were schooling at this school will be registered in state schools for them to continue with their education.”
Nuunyango-George urged parents to verify whether private schools are legally registered before enrolling their children.
“Parents should always ask for a registration certificate. All private schools operating legally are issued with a registration certificate by the ministry,” she said.
Oshikoto regional Police Commander Commissioner Ndafuda Iipinge confirmed that parents of the alleged victims have opened criminal cases, while investigations into the allegations continue.
The closure has left parents seeking alternative schools for their children, while authorities work to relocate learners and continue investigations into one of the most disturbing child abuse cases reported in the region in recent months.
