Hilma Hashange
MARIENTAL – Efforts to transform Kai//Ganaxab youth skills training centre into a fully-fledged vocational training centre are progressing at a slow pace.
A memorandum of understanding was signed in 2018 between the Ministry of Higher Education, Training and Innovation and the Ministry of Sport, Youth and National Service under which the centre falls. The centre is situated 12 kilometres west of Mariental and was established in 1994 to help out-of-school and unemployed youth who do not meet the basic requirements offered at vocational training centres. It currently offers training in bricklaying and plastering, carpentry and joinery, hospitality and catering as well as office administration, amongst others.
During her state of the region address, the governor of Hardap Region, Esme Isaack, pointed out that a tender was advertised for potential bidders to start with Phase 2 of constructing seven new blocks including a hospitality and tourism front office, administration block, carpentry and joinery workshops as well as three new houses for staff members, adding that construction will commence in August/September this year.
Eslon Kavari, an instructor at the centre, said the first phase of construction started in 2011 and finished around 2013. “This included a dining hall, four hostel blocks, two each for males and females, and a hospitality block. The tender process for Phase 2 closed on the 15th of July – we might see some progress but we cannot be sure they will start this year,” said Kavari.
He added that since 2016 the centre has not taken in any new intakes and will only do so after it gets a facelift. He however said that ‘struggle kids’ have so far been admitted to the centre for a three-month civic training in various fields. ‘Struggle kids’ have been attending classes in dilapidated fabricated workshops at the centre.
“The fabricated workshops will be renovated and turned into a carpentry and joinery workshop and the roof will be lifted in order to be conducive for teaching, and there will be more blocks of houses added to the current ones,” said Kavari.
He appealed to the government to speed up the process and get the centre to operate as a vocational centre as soon as possible.
During a presidential town hall meeting held in Mariental, presidential advisor on constitutional affairs and private sector interface, Inge Zamwaani-Kamwi, confirmed that the centre will soon be rolled out as a fully-fledged vocational training centre.
*Hilmar Hashange is an information officer for the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology based in Hardap Region.