Day: January 18, 2024

KEETMANSHOOP: ||Kharas Regional Council Chief Executive Officer, Benedictus Diergaardt, says in the face of evolving education landscapes, principals should embrace change as an opportunity to adapt and grow.

Diergaardt, who was speaking here on Wednesday at a meeting with more than 40 principals from the region, said schools are beacons of knowledge and require collective responsibility to ensure they remain dynamic, inclusive, and equipped to meet the needs of a rapidly changing world.

‘Collaboration will be the cornerstone of our success. Let us share best practices, support one another and create a network that strengthens the educational fabric of our community. Together we can create an environment where innovation flourishes and every learner has an opportunity to unfold their potential,’ he stated.

Diergaardt said as principals embark on the 2024 academic journey their guiding principles should be dedication, empathy and a relentless pursuit of excellence, adding that as principals they should fost
er an atmosphere that encourages curiosity, critical thinking, and a love for learning.

||Kharas Region Director of Education, Arts and Culture, Jesmine Magerman during the meeting issued a warning to teachers and principals who still administer corporal punishment, terming it physical abuse. She also noted the verbal abuse of learners.

‘A teacher who calls learners names, referring to them as dumb or stupid, or who makes derogatory remarks about the learner’s parents, transgresses in terms of the code of conduct of teachers in relation to learners,’ Magerman said.

She said principals and teachers should comply with the Labour Act, Education Act, the Public Service Act, public service staff rules and other relevant regulations at all times.

‘Please take note that you are at risk of being charged with misconduct if you fail to adhere to set policies, guidelines, regulations and laws or fail to implement legitimate orders from your immediate supervisors,’ she stressed.

The meeting that started Wednesday en
ds Friday and is amongst others taking place for principals and the regional education management to analyse last year’s Grade 4 to Advanced Subsidiary level results, and draft an improvement plan.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

OPUWO: The Kunene Education Directorate plans to conduct teachers’ conferences to address the region’s poor performance in the 2023 Namibia Senior Secondary Certificate Ordinary (NSSCO) and Advanced Subsidiary (NSSCAS) level examinations.

This was said by the region’s interim education director, Petrus Shipalanga, in an interview with Nampa on Wednesday, as part of a discussion on Kunene’s poor academic performance.

Despite a gradual increase in 2023 outcomes when compared to 2022, the Kunene Region still underperformed and remained in 14th place in the national NSSCO rankings.

In the 2022 academic year, 11.3 per cent of the learners who wrote the NSSCO examinations qualified for the AS level, while in 2023, 15.95 per cent of the learners qualified for the NSSCAS level.

Shipalanga told this news agency the Programmes and Quality Assurance Division of the regional education directorate is developing measures to boost academic performance.

‘One of the important tactics that will be implemented is teacher c
onferences. The PQA Division will hold teacher conferences in crucial towns and villages like Khorixas, Outjo, Kamanjab, Opuwo, Okanguati, and Sesfontein,’ he stated.

According to Shipalanga, the primary purpose of the conferences is to involve all teachers and discuss issues affecting teaching and learning. It will also provide an opportunity for continuous professional development on the effective implementation of National Standards and Performance Indicators in terms of quality lesson planning, teaching, learning, and assessment, as well as motivating teachers to boost the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation of learners.

The first teachers’ conference will be held in Khorixas on Friday, 19 January 2024, at Eddie Bowe Primary School, with the remainder of the conferences taking place next week.

Shipalanga said some of the factors contributing to poor performance include teacher absenteeism, a lack of motivation among learners, a lack of parental involvement, drug and alcohol abuse among students, and a l
ack of technology integration, all of which will be addressed at the conferences.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

RUNDU: Six suspects in the million-dollar fraud case at the Bank Windhoek branch in Opuwo, will appear in the Rundu Magistrate’s Court on Friday.

The Namibian Police Force’s Acting Regional Commander in the Kavango East Region, Eino Nambahu, told Nampa on Thursday the suspects, aged between 22 and 30 years, are being held at the Rundu Police Station.

The six men were arrested around 11h00 on Wednesday through an intelligence-led operation with the assistance of Bank Windhoek’s Forensic Department.

According to Nambahu the first suspect was arrested in the bank while trying to withdraw cash over the counter, while the others were picked up at different locations in Rundu.

The alleged mastermind behind the fraud case, Nico Rebebe, reportedly approached the six men, promising them employment on a farm. One of the requirements was for them to open accounts with Bank Windhoek, where he would facilitate their monthly payments.

They then allegedly received amounts varying from N.dollars 200 000 to N.dollars 500
000.

The men are being detained at the Rundu Police Station while further investigations are conducted, while two other suspects are still at large.

Meanwhile, Bank Windhoek has offered a reward of N.dollars 20 000 to anyone with information that could lead to the successful apprehension of Rebebe.

The Namibian Police Force initially reported that Rebebe transferred N.dollars 200 million to two separate bank accounts, and Bank Windhoek has since said the potential loss is less than N.dollars 2 million ‘thanks to vigilant staff action and robust systems and controls within the bank.’

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

GOBABIS: Omaheke Governor Pijoo Nganate has cited alcohol abuse and unemployment as some of the major contributors to the spike in malnutrition in the region.

Nganate during a press conference here on Wednesday said cases of malnutrition have increased. He said some of the factors contributing to malnutrition amongst children are parents who exchange food provided to them for alcohol, as well as child negligence by younger parents who leave their children in the care of elderly relatives without checking up on them.

‘A very big issue is negligent parents and those who dump their children with elderly people. Of course some of these young people are looking for work, but others are out enjoying themselves,’ he said.

Nganate further noted that malnutrition is a multi-faceted problem that needs everybody’s involvement, from the police and community to traditional leaders and health care workers. He added that the Liquor Act should be enforced.

‘We have some shebeens running 24/7,’ he said.

Nganate said his
office is trying to mitigate malnutrition by providing food to individual households, as well as setting up soup kitchens around the region. He also indicated that they are working towards permanent solutions to alleviate the problem.

‘A whole paradigm shift is needed, and we have looked at low hanging fruit that can be implemented with immediate effect, such as promoting milk collection points in the region. This is envisaged for the first quarter of 2024,’ Nganate said.

A report availed to the governor by the Gobabis State Hospital indicated that 370 people, mostly children, were admitted to health care facilities due to malnutrition last year. Of this number, 68 people died – most of them children.

According to the report, outpatient initiatives such as food kitchens and community gardens have yielded mixed results. The report also highlighted how alcohol abuse has played a major role in food insecurity and created a burden on State institutions that have food programmes in place.

Source: The Namibia
Press Agency

RUNDU: The Tondoro Health Centre in the Kavango West Region reportedly experienced flooding following a heavy thunderstorm on Wednesday.

The Ministry of Health and Social Services’ Executive Director (ED), Ben Nangombe, in a media statement issued on Thursday said no major damage to medical equipment or clinical supplies was recorded.

‘In our assessment, the rainwater that flooded the health centre originated from a water pool that had formed along the nearby gravel road due to inadequate storm water drainage,’ he said.

Areas at the health centre such as the waiting area, reception area, pharmacy storage area, and the delivery room were all waterlogged.

Nangombe said the ministry is working with the Roads Authority to establish mitigatory measures at the health centre.

These includes creating channels to divert storm water from reaching the health centre in the future, as well as erecting barrier walls around the waiting areas and alongside the entrance to the health centre in order to prevent waterloggi
ng caused by thunderstorms.

‘No injuries to patients, staff members or members of the public has been reported in connection to the flood,’ Nangombe said.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

OTJIWARONGO: The Otjiwarongo Municipality on Thursday officially unvailled its newly purchased fleet of heavy machinery to be used for its road construction and maintenance-related activities at the town.

Otjozondjupa Governor, James Uerikua, who officiated the event near the Karundu Primary School in Orwetoveni residential area, stated that Otjiwarongo as an economic hub of the region needs the new fleet since the current one in use is 60-years-old..

The fleet includes a grader, roller compactor, front-end loader and a 14 000 litre water tank truck purchased at N.dollars 10.7 million, he said.

‘This town is key as it is strategically located, with approximately 45 000 inhabitants. Therefore, quality roads are needed to facilitate development and bring about service delivery to the people,’ he said.

Uerikua then used the same platform to announce the commencement of phase two rehabilitation and upgrading activities on Henk Willems Street connecting town to Orwetoveni area.

He said the construction activi
ties on the road will include interlocking, erecting signboards and build culverts where needed for a distance of one kilometre at a cost of N.dollars 5.5 million.

Uerikua however urged the municipality to repair all the broken roads with potholes since the town has N.dollars 31 million the council secured from the Road Fund Administration (RFA) for this financial year.

Otjiwarongo Mayor, Gottlieb Shivute, on his part said the council knows that the accessible road infrastructure plays a pivotal role in the development of any community.

‘It is against this background and in line with the council’s strategic objective on spatial planning and infrastructure development that we opted to improve this particular road with the interlocks over bitumen, because interlocking is durable, requires less maintenance and cost effective compared to the bitumen road standards,’ he said.

The rehabilitation and realignment of Henk Willems Street is expected to be completed in May 2024.

Officials from the Roads Authorities
(RA) and other regional leaders also attended the event.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency