Thought Leaders

The announcement this week of the re-opening of schools and return of learners in phases by the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture brought some relief to parents, learners and stakeholders. Soon after the press release to the media, social media platforms were awash with the verbatim release itself and comments, which all pointed to smiles and happiness about the announcement. Some parents, teachers and principals I talked to expressed delight at the news of the reopening of schools in phases. 

Even if it may have been effected belatedly, President Hage Geingob’s directive to put a ceiling on monthly fuel usage for top government officials, as well as withdrawing off-road vehicles assigned to political office bearers, will be long remembered as one of the most strategic moves in an attempt to rein in government spending which many believe have been way out of control for a foreseeable future.

Namibia adopted the ‘mixed economy’ on the eve of independence 30 years ago.  Mixed economy is largely regarded as the mixture of capitalism and socialism, and to a certain extend it includes communism.

When countries come out of wars, strife and natural disasters, sectors such as education, health, infrastructure and the economy will be in shambles. To deal with this mess and have their countries run again, governments, with the assistance of other nations, come up with various strategies to rehabilitate these crucial sectors and others.

News gatherers and reporters, always anxious to convey messages with the potency and urgency they deserve, have used several headlines to describe global efforts to reopen in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Namibian people should never forget 21 March 1990. It was on that day, after over a hundred years ago, that Namibia at last raised its flag, inaugurated its first President and sworn in many of us as ministers of an independent sovereign Namibia.

David Lamb in his book, The Africans maintains that despite its advantages, nationalism has failed to take root in Africa because many African political leaders pay lip-ice service to the philosophy. In addition, Africans have not harvested tangible nationalistic fruits.

Retiring ages for professors from active teaching and research differ from university to university across the world. For some universities the mandatory retirement age is fixed at 60 years, for others at 65 or 70 years. It is normal practice in some universities that after any of the mandatory retirement age limits, universities professors are given one-year contracts which are renewable each year.

The revolutionary icon of Namibia’s fight against colonisation, Kaptein Hendrik Witbooi, demonstrated astuteness and foresight when he diplomatically engaged traditional chiefs and foreign colonial settlers for balance of power in the territory called Namibia today during the period starting from around 1880.

Thirty years ago, the guns between PLAN and the racist South African forces went silent ushering in Namibian independence on 21 March 1990.