By Frederick Philander
WINDHOEK
Four study bursaries were yesterday formally handed over to four land surveying students at the Polytechnic of Namibia to the tune of N$ 128 000 by Scholarships Namibia Incorporated.
Rector of the Polytechnic of Namibia, Dr Tjama Tjivikua, and the chairperson of the organization, Steven Snively, from the University of Florida, both officiated at the formal handing over ceremony.
“Personally I think this gesture is a noble and plausible initiative giving bursaries to students in their chosen field. Today there are more than 300 land surveying students in the department,” Dr Tjivikua said proudly. He is of the opinion that education and training form an intertwined unit in the development of Namibia.
“Whether it is the process of eradicating poverty or any other upliftment, education will be involved because people need to be educated to understand and appreciate the process. The majority of our people need to be educated. Therefore, it is imperative that education needs to be on a high level if we are to succeed in this country,” Tjivikua said.
He admitted that his tertiary institution has not yet since 1997 made even a dent in the needs of the country’s land surveying fraternity.
“The country’s needs have thus far not been properly addressed. Hence the fact that these four bursaries, thanks to a private initiative, come at an appropriate time to allow these four students to get their feet in by the door for further studies in the field.
“Development needs to be driven by education of a high level that needs to be maintained throughout, otherwise our educational competitiveness will drop if we do not do it ourselves,” he said.
The four students who received bursaries of no less than N$20 000 each are Emmie Johnson, Tuhafeni Shakela, Elizabeth Ndaamekele and Bernito Mogotsi – all second-year students studying Land Surveying at the Department of Land Management, School of Natural Resources and Tourism.
“This organization was only formed last year and this year we are already handing out the first four bursaries aimed at helping previously disadvantaged students in Namibia. It is my hope that we will be able to hand out more such bursaries in future. Though small in size, I am of the opinion that these students will be able to achieve their study goals to help the Namibian nation. They can serve as inspiration to other students, too,” said the president of Scholarship Namibia Incorporated, Steven Snively, at the same event.
A recent report estimated that there are only about 20 registered land surveyors in Namibia. The scarcity of land surveyors is a serious impediment to the land delivery process in Namibia, especially with regard to the government’s Land Reform Programme.