Rape charges force closure of unregistered Oshikoto school

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.