UUVUDHIYA – The vice-chairperson of the National Council Victoria Kauma encouraged learners to strive for success, amidst their daily challenges.
Kauma said she is aware of the many challenges learners go through, such as going to school on an empty stomach and exposure to hard conditions in their homes.
“Take your school journey very seriously. Have a mission of what you want to become in the future, study hard so that you also become someone in future,” she encouraged the learners at the Omapopo Combined School in Uuvudhiya constituency in the Oshana region on Tuesday. The National Council team is on a three-day visit in Oshana to create awareness on their functions and duties.
At Omapopo, Kauma also encouraged learners to avoid falling prey to teenage pregnancy.
The lawmaker said teenage pregnancy is of national concern, as children as young as 13 and 14 are becoming victims.
“When you hear of teenage pregnancy, run! Run from this devil, and concentrate on your schoolwork because the future is in your own hands,” she added.
Kauma said boys should likewise refrain from engaging in sexual activities, and be responsible citizens.
During another stop at Engombe in the same constituency where the team met with the youth, she furthermore encouraged unemployed graduates to take part in government-funded projects offered through the regional councils. “I know there is an outcry about unemployment, but today I want to encourage you to think out of the box, and to continue acquiring new skills and knowledge, and to do something else while awaiting employment in your own fields of study,” the lawmaker said.
At Uukwangula, where the team met with the Uukwambi Traditional Authority, the authority proposed that the Traditional Authorities Act be revised to allow them to get an allowance to carry out their work effectively and efficiently. The traditional authority also wants communities who are being compensated to pave way for development to be allocated plots elsewhere, as is currently being done by local authorities. They argued that people being moved from their residences are given serviced plots, while those falling under the traditional authorities are left to fend for themselves.
-Nuusita Ashipala is an information officer at MICT in Oshana.
– Ashipala.nuusita7@gmail.com