Windhoek
The Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Training and Innovation, Dr Becky Ndjoze-Ojo, wants training institutions to introduce customer service in all their educational activities and curricula.
Speaking at the opening of the two-day 2nd Customer Service Management Africa Awards and Conference on Monday, Ndjoze-Ojo said it is very important that all Namibian tertiary institutions make a connection with customer service.
She said one of the major objectives of Vision 2030 is to develop a diversified, competent and highly efficient human resource and institutions that will deliver effective customer service.
She said that the vast majority of people are caught up in the wrong jobs for the wrong reasons – some are there for the money, or due to a lack of alternative employment or professional compromise.
“There is therefore a need to provide focus of possible options to such individuals,” she stressed. Ndjoze-Ojo says a transition towards innovation and vocational training would have a direct impact on service delivery in Namibia and hopefully see a change in customer service.
She further said that the higher education ministry does not work in isolation but encourages transformation through transparency that includes stakeholders, specifically heads and senior officials from the University of Namibia, Polytechnic of Namibia, Namibia Qualification Authority, Namibia Students Financial Assistance Fund, National Commission on Research, Science and Technology, and the Namibian Training Authority. The deputy minister said that currently the ministry is in discussions with those institutions in search of a consolidated approach that will best serve the Namibian people through the newly created ministry.
Ndjoze-Ojo also used the opportunity to call on parents and youth to get rid of the notion that vocational education and training is the last resort after one’s failure to get a chance in other academic streams. Instead, she urged parents and youth to understand that vocational education and training is of great advantage to youth because it enables them to secure general employment, or self-employment. Quoting Mike Piper, the head of Bromley College, on providing the best of both worlds – academic and industry-directed vocational courses – Ndjoze-Ojo said: “There are many routes to success, not only academic. One size does not fit all when it comes to education; we owe it to our young people to ensure they prepare for the changing world.”
She said her ministry was ready, able and willing to embark on such multiple routes and thereby “ensure that our youth are adequately prepared for the future”.