The Capricorn Group donated a collection of 200 grade 10 and 11 textbooks plus a variety of stationery to M&K Gertze High School in Rehoboth and Mount View High School in Windhoek on 28 February 2023. The donations were made to mitigate learners in acquiring quality educational material to better their success in their studies.
The group’s executive of brand and corporate affairs, Marlize Horn, said, “Many Namibian high school learners started the year without textbooks, resorting to sharing or copying down every word from shared textbooks to study at home”.
She added that access to quality education is crucial for the success of communities.
The textbooks are for Accounting, Mathematics and Economics for grades 10 and 11, while the stationeries included pens, exercise books, pencils, erasers, rulers, mathematical sets, calculators and printing paper.
The group told New Era the materials are valued at the cost of N$90 000 – and some of the materials were donated by the staff members.
The group’s spokesperson, Grace Luvindao, told New Era: “We identified the schools through our development partner Imago Dei, which connects us with schools most in need. We identified two schools that had the greatest need and were receiving little assistance from other organisations.”
Imago Dei helps businesses working to relieve the plight of the needy in Namibia.
The group’s employees supported the company’s #Changemaker programme by donating extra second-hand textbooks and various other educational materials.
Furthermore, Capricorn believes Namibia’s education sector is facing severe challenges that affect students nationwide, adding that by taking hands and collaborating, Namibians can make a difference in the next generation’s lives.
He said the company’s donation of textbooks to the two schools is one example of its efforts to support education and literacy in Namibia, and the group is committed to giving back to the community through various philanthropic initiatives.
The principal of Mount View High School, Sean Möller, during the handover said, “We are grateful that our greatest challenge, lack of textbooks in mathematics and commerce subjects has been addressed.”
He continued that the donation means “improved academic performance through the attainment of quality symbols”.
He encouraged other organisations to emulate Capricorn’s example to support government efforts through corporate social responsibility.
Apart from the shortage of textbooks, the school lacks a fence, administration block, laboratories, a library and ablution facilities, he said.
- vamutenya9@gmail.com