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Welwitschia moves to Brakwater

Welwitschia moves to Brakwater

Since relocating to a facility in Brakwater near Windhoek, the Welwitschia School for Integrated Learning has made rapid progress to ensure an educational future for its unique learners who all have to overcome barriers to learning in the mainstream school system.
The Welwitschia School has outgrown its former Eros premises which put the establishment under financial strain. From its small beginnings in 2001, as the only mainstream school for learners with distinct learning disabilities, it grew to 239 learners at which point it was clear that the school had to relocate.
“With the growing demand for education of grade 1 to 12 learners challenged with amongst others dyslexia, autism and cerebral palsy, the premises in Eros could no longer accommodate the growing number of learners at the Welwitschia School, necessitating the move to Brakwater at the end of the first term” the school board said in a statement this week, announcing the successful relocation.
Welwitschia’s principal, Tiensy Dry said “converting two existing houses into a school fit for our learners, has been a major challenge, particularly considering financial and time constraints, but absolutely worth it. Our learners love the wide open spaces and fresh air which our new premises offer. Yes, there is a lot of dust, and we need more classrooms, ablutions and specialised facilities, but we are grateful that we can make a difference in the lives of 239 learners.”
According to School Board Chairperson, Aileen Botha, the school is embarking on a major fund raising drive to erect more classrooms as school fees are not sufficient to cover the costs of development. “Specialised education is more costly because of the lower teacher learner ratios as well as the cost of specialised equipment, aids and teaching assistants. Specialised treatment like physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy also add to the cost of running this school.

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Musa Carter

Musa Carter is a long-standing freelance contributor to the editorial team and also an active reporter. He gathers and verifies factual information regarding stories through interviews, observation and research. For the digital Economist, he promotes targeted content through various social networking sites such as the Economist facebook page (/Nameconomist/) and Twitter.