Jeremiah Ndjoze
Windhoek-The Okakarara Constituency Office has embarked on an awards ceremony through which it endeavours to appreciate learners who perform well at schools within the constituency
This is to foster an overall good academic performance among learners in the constituency. Councillor Vetaruhe Kandorozu maintains the awards ceremony, the first of its kind in the Otjozondjupa Region, has been necessitated by the need to inculcate a spirit of appreciation towards learning at a time when the young are facing an array of distractions.
Known as the Okakarara Constituency School Prize Awards, the initiative will be staged by the newly formulated Constituency School Prize Award Forum under the ambit of the constituency office.
“We are planning to host the official launch on the 2nd August with the main awards night slated some time towards the end of January 2019,” Kandorozu said.
He further revealed that the idea is to make it an annual happening provided the much-needed sponsorships are obtained. “We are not having any sponsorship at this point but we are in the process of engaging some stakeholders within the constituency to meet us halfway. We have managed to raise some N$20,000 and our target is to raise at least between N$100,000 and N$150,000 to hold a successful awards,” the councillor envisions. The awards will not only reward best performing learners but will also show teachers small tokens of appreciation.
Award-winning learners in Grade 10 and 12, according to Kandorozu, will amongst other prizes receive money vouchers to cover their tuition at an institution of higher learning. Those who perform well but fail to qualify for their required fields of further study at tertiary level will also receive tuition fees vouchers to cover their attendance at the Namibian College of Open Learning (Namcol). Learners in lower grades will receive trophies and certificates, the Youth Corner has learned.
“The idea is to get the farmers’ associations on board. Our humble request is for each farmer’s association to contribute an amount of not less than N$10,000 towards the awards,” the councillor adds.
The councillor and company, hope, among others to source funding for the initiative from the eight farmers’ associations and cooperatives in the constituency, anticipating N$100,000 from these bodies alone.
Kandorozu further reveals that the Ministry of Basic Education, Arts and Culture has been duly consulted and a delegation from the ministry is expected to attend the official launch of the awards. The proposed awards have also been endorsed by the regional educational heads in the Otjozondjupa Region.