By William Mbangula ONGWEDIVA The Ongwediva College of Education (OCE) started its academic year on Monday, February 5, faced with the challenge of an integrated information communication technology system (ICT). This was revealed by the Rector of OCE, Fredrika Uahengo, in an interview with New Era after concluding the commencement of the academic year. Uahengo appealed to the stakeholders in the knowledge industry such as the Ministry of Education and business institutions to assist with funds to help realize a laboratory which can accommodate at least 200 students at any one time. Said the Rector: “With the changing world of technology, it is very important that we should have relevant facilities such as the integrated ICT system.” Other challenges facing her institution, noted Uahengo who is also the chairperson of the OCE Council, include the renovation and establishment of infrastructures such as classrooms, hostels, offices and other essential facilities. So far, the OCE has only high-school type classrooms instead of standard lecture halls that can accommodate many learners at once. She called on the teaching staff, students and institutional workers to team up in order to achieve success. OCE was established in the early 1970s as a high school, technical and teacher-training college. Currently, it is only dealing with teacher-training, with a student population of 900, about 100 employees including the teaching staff and institutional workers. It has an annual intake of 300 students. The academic year was officially opened by the Under-Secretary for Formal Education, Alfred Ilukena, who echoed the views of the OCE rector regarding the need for ICT utilization in the institution. Said Ilukena: “The Ministry of Education recognizes the critical importance of effectively utilizing new information and communication technologies to meet the growing need for a more sophisticated labour force, manage information systems, and contribute to poverty reduction in Namibia and beyond. “I take note of the lack of the ICT-related statement in the Broad Curriculum for the BETD course, but even so I am quick to point out that this does not reflect the commitment of the programme to fulfil the government’s aim in creating a knowledge-based society.” On the issue of HIV/AIDS, Ilukena said the pandemic has become a critical area in the health and education system. However, most teachers have limited knowledge and skills in providing sustained and integrated HIV/Aids education. Due to the increase in the number of orphaned and neglected children, the role of the teachers is increasingly changing day by day. Teachers will not only be facilitators of knowledge and skills, but will become more and more involved in the roles of alternate care-givers, counsellors and social workers. In his view, many teachers are ill-equipped to deal with HIV/Aids in the classroom. This is because they do not have the confidence to deal with their own HIV/Aids status and fears at personal level, and are not prepared to deal with the challenge of teaching HIV/Aids-positive children. It is only when they are comfortable about their own status that they will be able to effectively teach about HIV/Aids to others.