Paheja Siririka
WINDHOEK- Operation Sida Di/Goan which aims to epitomise the dedication and commitment of the Kunene Region by painting the picture of a people willing to stand together to overcome the challenges in the region and country was launched in Kamanjab, last Friday.
Marius Sheya, the Governor of Kunene Region said the essence of the project is firmly grounded on the multi-pronged approach, enhancing the quality of education along with igniting patriotism and goal oriented solutions to challenges faced by the region.
“Quality education cannot be expected without quality inputs, which requires communities to take ownership of schools coupled with the government interventions to create a conducive learning environment,” he said.
“The aim of the project is to produce an environment where each inhabitant of Kunene without hesitation steps in and join hands to ensure a better future for all the children of the region, hence the name “Sida Di /Goan,” or “Our Children, ” he explained.
He further said it’s not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country. “Let me thank all the volunteers who have worked on this project with me, you have made a difference in the lives of Namibian children. You shall forever be remembered for what you have done in fixing the furniture for our brothers and sisters in the Namibian House,” he said.
The initiative has so far repaired 216 beds, 2000 desks, and 2000 chairs, collected from mostly urban schools around the region being commissioned last week with 1500 mattresses, five water tanks (5000 liters), school uniforms and sanitary towels for school girls.
Sheya said these items will transform the scene of most schools and for most learners, especially for those who slept on the floor, and were taught sitting on stones. He added that education can now focus on the transference of knowledge and schools can start nurturing the climate of learning – so as to ultimately improve learner performance in the region.
“I am ambitious and optimistic about the future of the Kunene Region. It is our economic obligation to make strategic investments that can help to create the conditions that will enable us to fully benefit from the resources at our disposal,” said Sheya.
Minister of Education, Arts and Culture Katrina Hanse-Himarwa said the government, since independence, has prioritised education as the most important investment towards poverty reduction, economic growth and narrowing the gap between the rich and poor.
“It is for these reasons that the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture continues to receive the highest national budget allocation every financial year to primarily ensure that the right to education, for every Namibian child, is enhanced and protected as enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of Namibia,” said Hanse-Himarwa, further pointing out that the ministry believes that education is a shared responsibility.
“The call for support from all stakeholders and friends in education is not only necessary but equally crucial to maximising efficiency and effectiveness in the overall provision of quality education to the Namibian child,” she added. The Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture makes budgetary provision for the supply of schools and hostels infrastructures, as well as the provision of human and physical resources in advancing the quality of education in general as well as teaching and learning in particular. This provision is faced with numerous challenges. The minister advised on good maintenance of the equipment provided to the learners.
“Our ministry wishes to urge all principals, teachers, learners and hostel staff to guard against vandalism of any state property entrusted in their care,” she said.
“The Namibian child deserves the best, and in collaboration with Operation Sida Di/Goan and all friends of education, we are on the path to realising that goal. We owe to our children quality teaching and an improvement in learning outcomes,” she concluded.