Africa-Press – Namibia. THE education minister, Anna Nghipondoka, said that the ministry has initiated discussions with key stakeholders to accelerate, collaborate and avail resources to remedy the shortage of classrooms and other much-needed education facilities in the country.
“In light of this, our ministry is making an appeal to the community and businesses to assist with the construction of additional classrooms to such schools because we recognise that the government cannot do this alone. If only the public and private sector as well as our international partners can work together in a coordinated manner, we can truly and meaningfully rescue the situation and make this work,” Nghipondoka said.
The minister made these remarks at the signing ceremony of the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) Grant Contract and ground-breaking ceremony for the addition of classrooms at Impalila Combined School.
The grant to construct additional classes is N$942 000 and was contributed to the ministry by the Japanese government. The grant, the minister said, will enable the school to continue education up to the Advanced Subsidiary (AS) Level.
“This school was established in 1966 and is currently enjoying a learner population of over 400, from pre-primary to Grade 9 but due to a shortage of classrooms, a worrisome phenomenon which is evident in many of our schools, country-wide, the school has been down-graded to offer only up to junior secondary level. Therefore, learners from the island and surrounding flood plains need to find a place in Katima Mulilo, or other Senior Secondary Schools across the Region, to continue their education, and the closest school is more than 60 km away,” Nghipondoka explained.
She added that such situations and many other similar ones where learners have to travel long distances really give the ministry a headache because for some of the learners, it means they would drop out of school.
“This just goes to reveal the dire need for more classrooms and the extent to which our children do not receive education in conducive classrooms, as they deserve to. It is therefore against this background that the Government of Japan has decided to extend a warm and life-changing gesture by way of a grant of around nine hundred and forty-two thousand Namibia Dollars (N$ 942 000) for building a new school block consisting of four permanent classrooms and a storeroom, By having donated a block of classrooms at Malundu Junior Primary School, as witnessed yesterday, and the ground-breaking ceremony at Impalila Combined School, the Government of Japan is enabling the Directorate of Education in Zambezi to assist these schools’ learners to reach their true potential and reach their dreams by creating a springboard and much needed foundation for the future,” Nghipondoka concluded.
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