Aron Mushaukwa
KATIMA MULILO – The annual ‘Back to School, Stay in School’ campaign aimed at encouraging learners particularly from marginalised San communities, to stay in school was launched at Kasheshe Combined School in the Zambezi Region on Monday.
The campaign to support marginalised community learners was initiated as part of the San Development Programme to ensure that learners from these disadvantaged communities attend school and remain in school and receive good education like all Namibian children.
The campaign was established in 2010 by the Division of the Marginalised Communities in the Office of the Prime Minister with the mandate to integrate marginalised communities into the mainstream economy of Namibia. Speaking at the launch at Kasheshe on Monday the Deputy Minister of Marginalised Communities Royal /Ui/o/oo pointed out that the seven year old campaign has yielded positive results as more leaners from the marginalised communities are now staying in school.
“Our efforts through this campaign has had an enormous impact in terms of the high dropout rate. According to our analysis, it shows that marginalised learners has improved school attendance. All six learners from the Tsumkwe Secondary School passed Grade 10 last year.
“Three years back almost 100 San learners enrolled at the Mururani School, attendance at the Donkerbos School went above the target,” he said.
/Ui/o/oo says this can also be attributed to the fact that the marginalised learners through his office are being rendered assistance among others with transport, monthly allowances, toiletries and accommodation fees. At the same occasion 12 learners from Grade 8, 9 and 10 were given school bags and stationery. /Ui/o/oo encouraged them to put these resources to good use.