RUNDU – President of the Namibia National Students Organisation (Nanso) Simon Taapopi has discouraged learners from renting on their own because of the revised education curriculum, which has seen a number of pupils placed at schools without hostels.
Thousands of learners countrywide are finding themselves in a difficult situation because of the new education curriculum. This includes learners being forced to seek accomodation closer to new non-boarding schools. “With the revised curriculum, there are also other challenges, including learners who are being moved to schools without hostels. People end up taking advantage of these learners and this may lead to teenage pregnancy,” said Taapopi during the launch of the basic education campaign in Rundu on Friday.
“We do not want what happened in Ohangwena to happen again this year; it must not happen that a Namibian child at the age of 12 or 16 is forced to rent – it must not and cannot happen.” According to Taapopi, teachers, education inspectors and parents must ensure there is no situation of learners renting on their own. “We do not support, under any terms, child-headed households because that is where social ills start happening,” he stated.
“Today, we are here to launch the access to basic education campaign. We decided to embark on this journey because we see a lot of challenges that are happening in basic education.” Taapopi noted that challenges in the basic education sector need to be attended to in order to ensure every Namibian deserving child has the opportunity and access to education.
“So, the access to basic education campaign is primarily aimed at ensuring that those challenges of basic education are addressed, so that every child in this country is able to have a place to learn,” he said, adding Namibia is one of the most unequal countries in the world.
“The only way we can be on par and be able to ensure those inequalities cease to exist is to ensure the provision of education is realised. Through the basic education campaign, we are on the ground. Every region has been visited and we have made contacts with all regional directors to ensure issues of placement are addressed,” he concluded.