Category: Education

The Education Directorate of the Oshikoto Region continues to operate from offices in Ondangwa in the Oshana Region, despite concerns over the associated costs.

In an interview with Nampa on Tuesday, Oshikoto Education Director Aletta Eises said her office has received numerous complaints and requests for the office to be moved from Ondangwa to the Oshikoto Region.

However, she explained that in 2016, N.dollars 132 million was allocated to construct an office. However, considering the poor school infrastructure in the region, they opted to prioritise improving school premises for learners instead.

‘We are more focused on our learners than having an office in the region,’ she said.

Eises said even though their office is based in Ondangwa, they remain focused on learners’ education in the Oshikoto Region. She added that this arrangement has not affected their performance or that of learners in their region.

Contacted for comment, the Executive Director of the Ministry of Education, Sanet Steenkamp, indicat
ed that the regional directorate has always been accessible but acknowledged that the ideal situation would be for the Oshikoto regional offices to operate from Omuthiya. However, she noted that such a move is currently not feasible.

Steenkamp provided historical context, noting the past division of regions into Ondangwa West and Ondangwa East, with Ondangwa East covering the Ohangwena and Oshikoto regions.

‘With time, Ohangwena Region moved to Eenhana where we were renting office space. Thereafter with the prioritisation of the budget, we started with the construction of the offices which are soon to be completed and then we will move to the Oshikoto Region, where a directorate office will be built in Omuthiya,’ she said.

She added that feasibility studies were conducted in 2016 and plans for construction are in place, but due to a moratorium on office block construction, priority was given to Ohangwena to finalise the construction of the directorate office, before construction of an office for the Oshiko
to directorate starts.

Steenkamp also noted that in Omuthiya they have a museum, library resource centre and the inspector’s office, which is the nearest point of entry under the regional council for education in Omuthiya.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

A total of 557 cases of child abuse have been reported in the Oshikoto Region between 01 January to 18 March 2024.

This was confirmed by the Head of the Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare Division at the Oshikoto Regional Council, Petrus Kuutondokwa, on Tuesday during the Child Care Protection Forum meeting held at Omuthiya.

He said the reported abuse include sexual, physical, emotional abuse and neglect.

The Oshikoto Regional Council chairperson, Samuel Shivute has encouraged residents of Oshikoto to start reporting violence against children and other pressing issues committed against them to relevant authorities.

He said that children should be protected against any forms of harm, exploitation and discrimination.

‘We also have alcohol and drug abuse by children and a high rate of children committing crimes in the region,’ said Shivute, further lamenting a high prevalence of teenage pregnancies in the region.

The Namibian Police Force representative at the meeting, Melchizedek Hang
o, urged the nation to go to the police station or the hospital to formalise and tackle the issue of child abuse.

‘The members of the public should call any member of the gender-based violence police to meet in person because police intervention can be your priority because it is a lifesaving measure,’ said Hango.

Hango further added that they can help the survivors to get connected to other resources such as legal services, psychologists and shelters, among others.

The objective of the forum was to strengthen coordination amongst the stakeholders regarding child care and protection issues, as well as raise awareness regarding child welfare services.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

WINDHOEK: A head of department that does not teach is an irrelevant head of department, Deputy Executive Director in the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture (MoEAC), Gerard Vries has remarked.

Speaking at the Khomas Region Heads of Department (HoD) Conference here on Tuesday, Vries said it is essential that HoDs play their part in ensuring they are managing progressing departments. The two-day conference is running under the theme, ‘Towards acceleration in the monitoring of teaching and learning.’

Vries in his keynote address said: ‘It is critical that you carry the load allocated in line with the policies and procedures that prescribe as law for you as HoD to teach and positively impact your learners and department.’

The deputy ED remarked that the conference is aimed at equipping HODs in the Khomas Region with the necessary skills and competencies to transcend their specialisation boundaries, and embrace other relevant skills essential for managing and leading progressive departments in their respect
ive schools.

The conference will amongst others focus on enhancing communication within Khomas Region schools, encouraging beneficial interactions and exchanging ideas amongst staff members, championing and optimising staff wellness, and promoting the use of technology to enhance teaching and learning.

Vries stated that the MoEAC expects every school to implement the mentioned objectives and principles for fostering achievement of success regardless of grade, school, cluster, circuit or rank of department.

The deputy ED further noted that if all HoDs present at the conference effectively drive and operationalise these objectives, ‘We will be assured of thriving schools in Khomas in which staff members openly communicate, exchange ideas and share in their best practices.’

Vries called on HoDs to be outspoken voices for the voiceless in their departments and in their schools, adding that they should not just be salary collectors waiting for the 20th of each month.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

Namibia Needs Me Project held a civic education dialogue with students from the University of Namibia (UNAM) Rundu Campus on strengthening democratic participation here on Tuesday.

The project is implemented by the Namibia Institute of Democracy and the Hanns Seidel Foundation and is funded by the European Union.

Speaking at the event, Senior Project Officer of Namibia Needs Me, Naita Hishoono, said the project encourages citizens to get involved in the country’s democratic institutions such as the National Assembly etc.

As Namibia is preparing for its Presidential and National Assembly elections, set for late November, citizens will have to understand where in the electoral cycle they will be involved, she said.

Hishoono urged Namibians to get themselves registered for the upcoming elections and to make sure they read the various political parties’ manifestos to keep leaders accountable once elected.

‘Citizens should vote for political parties understanding what these parties can do for them. Thus the N
amibia Needs Me Project is about informing citizens about their rights, their responsibilities and how they can involve themselves in political processes in the country,’ she said.

Hishoono said during these dialogues they are explaining who the institutions are, the procedures as well as the processes.

‘We are informing citizens to strengthen their relationship with their leaders and decision-makers. So that in the end we have informed and conscious citizens who know what their rights are,’ she noted.

As target groups a central focus of the project is the youth demographic, she said, adding that senior secondary school learners from various schools across the country will partake in civic education training sessions as well as University students who will also engage in dialogues providing them with a platform to raise their voices.

Commissioner of the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) and English Lecturer at the UNAM Rundu Campus, Dr Gerson Sindano, while applauding the project for its work, said: ‘
This is the best way to capture young people’s imagination for them to have the will to take part in elections.’

This, he noted should be the work of every member of society to participate in promoting civic education.

Sindano said voter participation in the past years during polls has gone down however with more civic education this trend could change this year.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

WINDHOEK: The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) has launched its democracy awareness campaign with a particular focus on increasing youth participation in the electoral process.

The commission has acknowledged the need to encourage the youth to register as voters in the upcoming general voter registration from 03 June to August 2024.

ECN last week announced that all eligible Namibian voters will have to register to vote ahead of the presidential and national assembly elections in November 2024.

The democracy awareness campaign, which is part of the voter and civic education campaign for the registration of voters, is themed the Step Up Campaign under the slogan ‘Step up for your right, register to vote.’

ECN Commissioner Gerson Tjihenuna said that to encourage the youth, information, education materials, and campaigns will have the slogan ‘Your future lies with youth, step up and register to vote.’

He said to ensure active youth participation, the ECN will make use of youth ambassadors to influence t
he participation of young people in the electoral process.

‘The ECN is cognisant of the fact that the youth constitute the highest number of eligible voters in Namibia, however, their turnout during electoral processes has been low. To ensure youth participation during the upcoming electoral processes, the ECN has to come up with programmes and strategies aimed at promoting their participation,’ he said during the launch of ECN electoral calendar and awareness campaign last week.

Meanwhile, the electoral commission has picked Ms Teen Namibia, Oriana Ribeiro, as the lead youth ambassador for its voter and civic education.

Ribeiro told Nampa that for young people to secure their future, they must participate in the democratic process.

‘It is important for young people like me to get involved in the electoral process by registering and voting. What we need to realise is that Namibia is our future. We need to start taking initiative and contributing in meagre ways to our society. The first step we need to tak
e is to cultivate the kind of future we want. And we can do that by voting and being part of the electoral process,’ said the 19-year-old first-time voter.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

TSUMEB: Hai//om Traditional Authority (HTA)’s vice chairperson, Ndapandula Kamati, has urged the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture (MoEAC) to teach children in their indigenous languages.

Kamati said this during the celebration of International Mother Language Day at Tsumeb on Saturday in the Oshikoto Region.

‘We want to be taught in our language and be proud in our language and also on how to do poems, design art in our very own language,’ she said.

Kamati further expressed disappointment at the fact that some languages, such as hers, are not recognised formally in Namibia.

‘It is so unfortunate that our language is not written and we are not even recognised in local schools, which makes it difficult for our learners to go forward with their studies,’ said Kamati.

MoEAC Director for the Oshikoto Region, Aletta Eises, said they have 7 000 Khoisan speaking learners in schools, and only Khoekoegowab is taught in schools with only 100 learners being taught the language from grade 1 to 12.

‘It is high
time we stand up for our languages so we preserve them for our future generation,’ said Eises.

She further urged people to value their languages and stop denouncing them as that is their identity and their pride.

‘If the mother tongues are not investing and speaking their languages in their social setting and meetings, then the language will be extinct.

Deputy Mayor of Tsumeb, Anmire Garises, at the same occasion urged Tsumeb’s Hai//om communities to protect and preserve their culture as well as to recognise its significance in shaping a collective future.

‘Let us celebrate the beauty of our mother tongues and recognise the importance of it in our society,’ said Garises.

She further said that they should wear their traditional attire with pride and speak the language with pride, as well as continue celebrating International Mother Language Day

The theme of the event was to set goals for preserving endangered languages, promoting multilingualism and sustaining linguistic heritage.

Source: The Namibia P
ress Agency

WINDHOEK: The Vice Chancellor of the University of Namibia, Prof Kenneth Matengu has warned against the allocation of insufficient funds to critical sectors in the country, saying it may hamper development.

Matengu was speaking during a high level tertiary education funding budget review dinner organised by the Namibia Press Agency on Thursday night. Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila officiated the event. Matengu stressed that services of strategic interest which are critical to a country’s development are education, health, security and agriculture.

‘If there is no investment in those services, a nation will fault in its development objectives and the obligations the State has to the people will be compromised. Typically if a country is in trouble, governments that use this model will increase investments in these sectors. If you are not allocating resources to cause development to happen, there is a problem,’ he said.

He further reiterated that the national budget ought to cause development throu
gh building competencies that the country needs.

‘If you don’t assign resources you have not made a decision. As a country we need to reflect if we are really using the budget to steer education, to achieve the competencies a sector needs. A national budget is a platform that Government uses to allow its nation to know how the resources it has raised will be used. It is a system that allows for accountability in terms of tax payers as well as the legislation,’ Matengu added.

Source: Namibia Press Agency