Day: March 1, 2024

OKANKOLO: The Director of Education in the Oshikoto Region, Aletta Eises, has urged learners to prioritise their studies over social media platforms. Eises was speaking during the launch of the 2024 academic year and Oshikoto regional performance enhancement awards ceremony at Onguti Secondary School in the Okankolo Constituency. 'Many learners are on Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms. They need to get off Facebook and face their books,' said Eises. The education director further said learners should not wait for the final examinations and should instead start preparing themselves now. 'We need to start now because we only have a few months left before the final examinations,' she said. She also called upon parents to assist in fostering academic discipline among learners by establishing rules and standards at home. Eises emphasised the theme for the year, 'Teamwork for action towards excellence,' stressing the collaborative effort required from both schools and parents. 'Parents must help the education system so that we can achieve excellence and move forward together to raise our learners,' she said. She further advised principals to motivate and inspire teachers and learners rather than resorting to bullying or manipulation. 'Bullying and manipulation are not a management style, we should lead with a firm hand and a soft heart,' Eises said. The director's remarks followed a decline in the Oshikoto Region's ranking from fourth to seventh in Grade 12 results in 2023 and an improvement from eighth to fourth position in Grade 11 results. The Regional Councillor for the Okankolo Constituency, Hans Nambondi, echoed the call for collaboration among stakeholders in the education sector to support learners in achieving their aspirations. 'Teachers, parents, traditional leaders, business people and political leaders, let us all team up to help our learners in achieving their dreams,' said Nambondi. Source: Namibia Press Agency

OKANKOLO: The Director of Education in the Oshikoto Region, Aletta Eises, has urged learners to prioritise their studies over social media platforms. Eises was speaking during the launch of the 2024 academic year and Oshikoto regional performance enhancement awards ceremony at Onguti Secondary School in the Okankolo Constituency. 'Many learners are on Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms. They need to get off Facebook and face their books,' said Eises. The education director further said learners should not wait for the final examinations and should instead start preparing themselves now. 'We need to start now because we only have a few months left before the final examinations,' she said. She also called upon parents to assist in fostering academic discipline among learners by establishing rules and standards at home. Eises emphasised the theme for the year, 'Teamwork for action towards excellence,' stressing the collaborative effort required from both schools and parents. 'Parents must help the education system so that we can achieve excellence and move forward together to raise our learners,' she said. She further advised principals to motivate and inspire teachers and learners rather than resorting to bullying or manipulation. 'Bullying and manipulation are not a management style, we should lead with a firm hand and a soft heart,' Eises said. The director's remarks followed a decline in the Oshikoto Region's ranking from fourth to seventh in Grade 12 results in 2023 and an improvement from eighth to fourth position in Grade 11 results. The Regional Councillor for the Okankolo Constituency, Hans Nambondi, echoed the call for collaboration among stakeholders in the education sector to support learners in achieving their aspirations. 'Teachers, parents, traditional leaders, business people and political leaders, let us all team up to help our learners in achieving their dreams,' said Nambondi. Source: Namibia Press Agency

OSHAKATI: Eemhunda residents in the Okalongo Constituency were left destitute after a strong storm and rain destroyed their homes, business premises and mahangu fields on Wednesday night. Rafael Eduardo, 67, told Nampa on Thursday that the storm destroyed many of their properties and mahangu fields. According to Eduardo, many of the zinc sheets that were blown off buildings were found a distance from the houses. 'I was left now fixing the zinc sheets back that were blown away by the storm even though they are really damaged,' he said. He added that with their mahangu fields completely destroyed, they are worried that they will not have a harvest. Another resident, Pendukeni Hifindako, 38, indicated that the storm affected his business badly resulting in damage of materials and equipment that will be costly for him. 'My welding machines and other materials were damaged and getting my business off the ground once again will be costly for me,' he said. At this stage, Hifindako said the total value of the damage is unknown as he will have to assess the matter. 'I do not know what to do now, this business was my livelihood and I have lost everything in the blink of a night,' he said. Okalongo Constituency councillor, Laurentius Iipinge, said he is aware of the matter and will be writing a report to the Office of the Omusati Region Governor, which will then be sent to the Office of the Prime Minister for further intervention. At this stage, Iipinge indicated that his office has no aid to help the affected residents. 'We are waiting for the traditional authority to provide us with a detailed report as to how many homesteads were destroyed,' he said. Iipinge said that once the report is issued they will know how many people were already registered for drought relief and the rest will be added on the list as their mahangu field was destroyed. Source: Namibia Press Agency

KATIMA MULILO: The Zambezi Region Governor, Lawrence Sampofu, says he believes there will be a positive outcome from the sixth National Development Plan (NDP6), arguing it will address the needs and plight of the community. In his welcoming remarks read on his behalf by Kabbe South Constituency councillor John Likando at the consultation meeting here on Thursday, Sampofu acknowledged that NDP5 had lots of challenges and setbacks, and thus urged both the regional and local authorities and the public to actively participate in the interaction and bring desired development in the region through the new plan. 'Our infrastructure are to be developed, in order to create employment. The Zambezi Tourism Waterfront is there, and we hoped it would create job opportunities but now it's turning into a white elephant,' said Sampofu. Chief Executive Officer and Focal Point of the African Peer Review Mechanism office in Namibia, Ambassador Lineekela Mboti argued that Namibia 'has good plans from NDP1 to NDP5, but impleme ntation is the challenge.' 'We must tell ourselves the truth, we are failing to implement our plans. Yes, there are resource challenges and inadequate funding, but we still need to implement our plans,' Mboti urged. The ambassador argued that as the mantra goes on inclusivity, indeed no one should be left out in the formulation and benefiting from the plan. National Planning Commission Deputy Advisor, Habani Munyungano says the main reason the NPC was in the Zambezi Region was to engage in extensive consultations with everyone, from the well-informed man to the grassroots level. 'The findings show that there is a high unemployment rate among the youth, which needs urgent attention, our own youth, we need to take care of them, we are mandated to plan on their behalf, we need them to get them access to health facilities and basic needs,' Munyungano stated. The NDP6 is a six-year plan that will cover 2025-2031. Source: Namibia Press Agency