A 36-year-old man from Onayena constituency in the Oshikoto region is offering free literacy education classes to adults who are willing to learn how to write, read as well as count.
Pau Tangeni Namupala, the managing director of Powerpoint Private School, has been paying for the school fees for vulnerable children and now resorted to assist the elders as well in a quest to educate them how to read, write and count.
“We are living in an era where everyone requires to know how to read and write because of technology. Therefore, I feel the need to educate our elders who did not get a chance to go to school, how to count, read and write,” he explained.
Namupala said this is a first-time project and is open to everyone who has access to the school. “It is not only open to Onayena residents, but to all Namibians who can reach the place. This is for free. However, I want to urge all people who are interested to come and register so that we can categorise them according to their area of interest,” he emphasised.
Namupala said that although the school was established last year as a pre-primary school, he wants to give back to the community in a way that it will benefit from the school because only pre-primary learners are paying fees.
“Last year I had one learner whose parents could not afford to pay the tuition fees. I paid for him and this year again I have identified one. Because education is the greatest equaliser, I don’t want anyone to feel left out including our people who are taking care of our livestock at our cattle posts,” he added.
Namupala said he has the plight of the people at heart, which is one of the main reasons he is partaking in the regional election as an independent candidate to make sure that the needs of the people are met at government level. Namupala has also introduced sport activities, especially for men.
“We have a high unemployment rate in the country. If people have nothing to do that won’t keep them busy and relax their minds. They will resort to drinking and then commit illicit activities. That is why I introduced sports at school. Other sport activities will also be introduced at a later stage,” he explained.
-ljason@nepc.com.na