Ngandu Hisckia
Education is one of the most important investments a country can make for its future. Education is a powerful agent of change, improves health and livelihoods, contributes to social stability, and drives long-term economic growth. Education is also essential to the success of everyone in Namibia.
Many learners who are orphans, vulnerable, or deprived lose focus on learning due to the lack of support. Research shows that most of these learners live with elderly people who are unable to support them, which leads to them dropping out of school and performing poorly. Some of them get into relationships with people to get some money to take care of themselves at a young age, which is not good at all.
The government provides good sanitation, clothes and free food to prisoners but cannot afford these to needy learners. The government should come up with projects that will help to donate school uniforms, provide monthly counseling, and better sanitation to vulnerable and deprived learners. The government should also build hostels, specifically for them free of charge.
Supporting these needy learners also helps by reducing criminal activities in society because when these deprived learners drop out of school, they try ways and means to survive and this result in them stealing and attacking people, while also leading them to start smoking and drinking alcohol excessively.
Since education is the key to success, the government should at least try to find a strategy to help these learners stay in school and become better people in the near future.
To people who live with these vulnerable, orphans and deprived learners, please try to lay a hand and help them where you can. Be a hero/heroin in these learners’ lives. We shouldn’t leave them to suffer and drop out of school. It’s not a choice to be vulnerable, orphaned or deprived. Let us unite and help them.
* Ngandu Hisckia is a BED graduate from the University of Namibia.