Education minister Anna Nghipondoka on Friday encouraged those who piggy back on the hard work of others to seriously look into their work ethics and commitment. 

“Ask yourselves, what can I do more to improve to positively affect service delivery in this ministry? Ask yourself, am I worth the value of the remuneration that my employer is rewarding me at the end of each month?” she told staff during her 2023 address to staff.

She reminded them that having a job as a public servant is not a right or entitlement but a privilege each should cherish. 

This, she said, is so because there is someone out there who is better qualified and better skilled – but due to various circumstances, they are not able to enjoy the privilege employed staff are enjoying.

Therefore, Nghipondoka stressed it is incumbent on everyone to give their level best at all times – individually and as a collective. 

“Let us walk that extra mile to deliver on our task purposefully and timely because it is the right thing to do and because that is what is expected of us, as public servants. 

“Therefore, my dear beloved fellow team members, while thinking broadly and creatively, let us encourage one another – do self-introspection as the eager team to determine from today onwards what we are going to do differently to improve on what we have last achieved,” she advised.

While the nation’s eyes and ears remain focused on the education fraternity with the hope for education deliverance, she said there is a need to craft a new and improved way of thinking.

According to the minister, staff members simply cannot continue to deliver at the same pace and with the same attitude. 

She reminded them about the customer service charter framework for public servants, which reminds public servants of their singular and collective responsibilities as custodians of public goods and services. 

The minister highlighted the charter simultaneously empowers recipients of such public goods and services unambiguously to know their entitlements – both in terms of quality and quantity – and also the mode and manner of the delivery thereof. 

Equally, she acknowledged the difficult situations staff members are operating in, particularly teaching as well as non-teaching staff and learners in the northern regions, who are severely affected by the floods. 

Teachers and learners countrywide are still without decent classroom space and sufficient teaching and learning support materials. 

To this, Nghipondoka assured the leadership of the ministry is ceased with these issues – and with the assistance of other stakeholders and friends of education, she believes management is doing its level best to arrest the situation. 

She urged staff members not to despair and to remain steadfast and resolute to walk the education journey together until the end. 

Further, she stressed the need to prioritise to ensure the best output and best outcome from the little resources at their disposal. 

The minister is also confident that come end of the 2023 academic year, everyone should proudly look back, knowing they have done their level best to achieve what they planned. 

Following the regional consultations and the national education conference in 2022, recommendations allowed the ministry to craft an implementation plan. 

Nghipondoka is hopeful that once this plan is completed and approved by Cabinet, it will form part of the critical ingredients among the array of remedies to the education, arts and culture ministry. – anakale@nepc.com.na