OTJIWARONGO - Newly-appointed education director for Otjozondjupa region Gerhard Ndafenongo was last Thursday introduced to staff members of the head office at Otjiwarongo.
He takes over from Josephine Mutenda, who retired in June 2023.
“He was transferred from the Hardap region, where he was education director for the past four years,” said Otjozondjupa chief regional officer Agatha Mweti in her introductory remarks.
Mweti said since the Directorate of Education, Arts and Culture is decentralised to the Otjozondjupa Regional Council, Ndafenongo will work closely with her office.
He holds two master’s degrees - one in Mathematics and another in technology.
Before becoming a regional education director, Ndafenongo started as a teacher in the Oshikoto Region in 2001, then became a head of department in Oshana, followed by being the school principal at Omuthiya Senior Secondary School. He was appointed as inspector of education and deputy education director for programmes and quality assurance in the same Oshikoto region from 2016 to 2019.
Meanwhile, in Katima Mulilo, some 980 km from Otjiwarongo, another education director of the Zambezi region Alex Sikume assumed office on the same day.
Sikume, who has been with the education ministry as the deputy director of the corporate planning division in Windhoek, was introduced on Tuesday during the farewell ceremony for his predecessor, Josty Kawana, who heads into retirement.
Otjozondjupa has 1 800 teachers and
56 000 learners this year, with 90 public and private schools in the entire region.
Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture deputy executive director Knox Otto Imbuwa called on all stakeholders from the Zambezi regional council, the education staff, traditional authorities and the public to give their support to Sikume as they previously did with Kawana.
“Seeing that the Zambezi region
has improved its performance with the Grades 11 and 12 results, as a region
you need to work together and continue rallying behind your new director to focus and yield improved results for the
Namibian child. It’s all about the Namibian child, therefore, activities of tribalism will not be welcomed,” Imbuwa warned.
He further commended the ministry for a smooth transition of power from Kawana to Sikume, leaving no vacuum for someone to act.
On his side, the new director called for teamwork from all stakeholders, urging
each of them to play their active roles to realise the potential the region has academically.
“We would like to mobilise our team and re-skill our staff so that we remain relevant in our vision to achieve the academic excellence the region desires,” Sikume noted.
Meanwhile, the Zambezi education directorate bade farewell to Kawana, describing him as a humble but dedicated leader.
He held the director position since
2021, after serving as deputy director from 2013. He worked in the public service for 36 years.
- Nampa