WINDHOEK– The Secretary General of the Namibia National Commission for Unesco, Dr Marius Kudumo, says the Unesco Confucius Prize to be conferred on Namibia will motivate local literacy promoters to work even harder.
Namibia will receive the acclaimed literacy prize in September. Kudumo says the award is important because Unesco recognizes the Namibia literacy programme as a “good practice” worthy of emulation. “It’s a good practice for the rest of the world,” Kudumo noted. It is the first time Namibia has applied to be considered for the award and is receiving recognition on the first try, which in itself is highly motivating, Kudumo said. He was however unable to disclose which countries also competed for the coveted international award, saying only that Unesco wrote individual letters to countries and organisations that qualified.
According to him there are two main categories for the award, one focusing on adults and the other on youths. There are literacy promoters in all 13 regions of the country.
Elaborating on the literacy programmes offered in Namibia, he explained there are classes for adults who have never gone to school, as well as basic literacy programmes for adults who have been to school but dropped out. In both cases the adults can go up to Grade 7, he said. The Namibian literacy programme is designed in such a manner that adults enrolled in the literacy programmes can enroll to continue with school through Namcol. The literacy programme also offers an entrepreneurship course, said Kudumo. He said of the entrepreneurship programme: “It’s improving their lives.”
Out of school youths who have dropped out of the formal education system are offered an opportunity through the literacy programmes to upgrade and improve their lives, Kudumo explained.
Speaking at the launch of the reading culture campaign, Minister of Education, Dr David Namwandi, applauded Namibia for its achievement in receiving the literacy award. Namwandi stressed the importance of developing a reading culture, because he believes Namibia can do much better once a reading culture is entrenched.
Unesco on the recommendation of an international jury awarded the Confucius Prize for Literacy 2013 to the Namibia National Literacy Programme following a submission and motivation by the Directorate of Adult Education in the Ministry of Education. The jury appreciated the determination of the National Literacy Programme in Namibia to provide basic education to disadvantaged adults and out-of-school youths with a view to improving their quality of life and to enable them to contribute to the wellbeing of their communities and national development. The award ceremony will be held at the Unesco headquarters in Paris on September 09.
The Unesco Confucius prize was established in 2005 and recognises the activities of outstanding individuals, governments or governmental agencies and non-governmental organisations whose work in literacy serves rural adults and out of school youths, particularly women and girls. The prize is named in honour of the renowned Chinese scholar Confucius. Last year, Bhutan and Colombia were the Unesco Confucius prizewinners.
Story by Alvine Kapitako