Windhoek
The national literacy programme has empowered more than 500 000 Namibians who, thanks to the programme, are now literate citizens.
According to statistics provided by the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture on Friday the literacy rate stands at 94 percent and above in nine of the country’s 14 regions. The nine regions are //Karas, Hardap, Khomas, Omusati, Oshana, Ohangwena, Zambezi, Erongo and Oshikoto.
The Education, Arts and Culture Minister, Katrina Hanse-Himarwa, said the data is a clear indication that the country is on the right track in addressing adult literacy.
It is against this achievement that Namibia was awarded the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Confucius Prize in 2013 for the Excellent National Adult Programmes, which have improved the quality of life of both disadvantaged adults and out-of-school youth. Literacy activities expanded rapidly since their inception in 1992, from about 15 000 learners taught by 700 promoters (literacy teachers) in the first year to about 36 000 learners in 2000.
Adult Learners’ Week which was launched last Friday is a national celebration of lifelong learning; the biggest in Namibia. “The week is now in its 23rd year and we are really proud that it has inspired adult learners across the 14 political regions of Namibia,” she said.
Hanse-Himarwa added that recently a group of adults in the Zambezi Region wrote her a letter pleading that literacy programmes be brought to them.
“That to me is a clear testimony that Namibians are moving towards a literacy conscious society.”
This year’s national theme is “Literacy, the Foundation for Sustainable Societies.”
The minister said the theme strongly and pointedly emphasizes that literacy is a basic human need and human right to knowledge.
“Literacy is empowerment, which means the ability to make decisions and control the affairs of one’s own life – economically, socially and politically. It is the first step in a lifelong learning process. Life without literacy is life without hope, security and freedom. Literacy is the foundation of all skills and a pre-requisite for economic development and poverty eradication.”
Further, she said, literacy provides individuals with the skills to understand the world and shape it, to participate in democratic processes and have a voice, and also to strengthen their cultural identity.
For individuals, families, and societies alike, Hanse-Himarwa said, literacy is an instrument of empowerment to improve one’s health, income, livelihood and one’s relationship with the world.
She said that currently the education ministry is striving to satisfy its mission through various related programmes, namely, the National Literacy Programme in Namibia (NLPN), Adult Upper Primary Education, Adult Skills Development for Self Employment, Community Learning and Development Centres, Yes I Can Programme, Family Literacy Programme, and the Bridging Year Programme.
According to her, a literate community is a dynamic community, one that exchanges ideas and engages in debate, while illiteracy, however, is an obstacle to a better quality of life, and can even breed exclusion and violence.
In September 1992 the NLPN was launched in accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of Namibia.
The policy document ‘Towards Education for All’ in 1993 elaborated the rationale for lifelong learning, which by definition includes adult learning.
It further implies that adult education in Namibia is part of the government’s commitment to national development and education for all, which is enshrined in Vision 2030 and NDP4.