WINDHOEK – Seven schools in the Khomas Region became the beneficiaries of a huge donation from the Namibia San Development Organization (NSDO).
The donation worth N$300 000 comprised 50 solar panels, 250 computers, 100 chairs and 600 desks was handed over to the governor of the Khomas Region Laura Mcleod-Katjirua in Windhoek yesterday. The schools were selected following an assessment and recommendations by the Khomas Regional Education Directorate and the Khomas Regional Council, based on their needs. The majority of the learners at the schools live in informal settlements and rural areas.
NSDO Director Jersey Katjimune said the donation is part of the mandate of the organization that solicits support from donors with the aim to help the San and other marginalized people such as the rural poor. “We are giving you this donation, as our commitment to uplift the education sector in this country, and we hope this will not only make a difference in your schools, but also the community in which you live,” Katjimune explained at the handover ceremony.
The schools are the Baumgartsbrunn Primary School, Tobias Hainyeko Primary School, Namibia Primary School, Munka Day Care, Vihanga Day Care, Dorado Pre-Primary School and the Bethold Himuine Primary School. At the Namibia Primary School situated in the heart of Katutura, the organization is expected to set up a computer laboratory, which will offer computer literacy classes not only for learners but also for the general public. Katjimune however says free classes will only be offered to learners and interested membersof the general public will be asked to pay a “reasonable fee.” Welcoming the gesture, Education Director of the Khomas Region Thea Seefeldt said the donation will strengthen the capacity of schools, especially those in rural areas where poverty is a major issue and school children do not have access to modern technology. Governor Mcleod-Katjirua commended the NSDO for including schools from the region in their programmes. She noted that rural schools and those in the informal settlements are disadvantaged compared to those in urban areas. “If there were 100 tapes of Katjimune and everybody would bring a donation then the issue of ICT in Namibia will be something of the past,” she said.
Mcleod-Katjirua asked the beneficiaries not to take the donation for granted and stressed that donors are usually ordinary people who go out of their way for the sake of community development. “I request those schools to seriously look after the items, these computers are there to empower our education sector.” Mcleod-Katjirua called on young people and other social partners in the country to emulate Katjimune’s example, saying the donation should be a wake-up call for all Namibians to realize that there are social responsibilities to be fulfilled. Since its inception in 2008, the organization has provided assistance to 91 schools in seven regions of the country.
By Tonateni Shidhudhu