STATEMENT BY RIGHT HON. DR. HAGE G GEINGOB, PRIME MINISTER OF THE REPUBLIC OF NAMIBIA AT THE OFFICIAL INAUGURATION OF THE OTJOMURU PRIMARY SCHOOL SEPTEMBER 25, 2013 OTJOMURU, KUNENE REGION EPUPA CONSTITUENCY DIRECTOR OF CEREMONY HON. MARCO HAUSIKU, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER, HON. JOSUA //HOEBEB, GOVERNOR OF KUNENE REGION, HON. PETER IILONGA, DEPUTY MINISTER OF DEFENCE HON. ANGELIKA MUHARUKUA, DEPUTY MINISTER OF GENDER EQUALITY AND CHILD WELFARE, HON. UAHEKUA HERUNGA, MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT AND TOURISM, SPECIAL ADVISOR TO THE GOVERNOR, MR. KENATJIRONGA MUHARUKUA, EPUPA CONSTITUENCY COUNCILOR, MR. NGUZU MUHARUKUA, TRADITIONAL CHIEFS AND HEADMEN, INVITED GUESTS, MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA, COMMUNITY MEMBERS, AND DEAR LEARNERS It is a pleasure for me to officiate at the official handover of the Otjomuru Primary School. Ladies and gentlemen, when this small settlement, Otjomuru was established, this area was a mere jungle. Only birds of the air and animals roamed the beautiful Zebra Mountains, which we see around us. However, today it has become a place that the Ovatue and Ovatjimba communities and their children can call home. The village now has an emergency clinic, and about 74 households which translates into a population of 320, excluding babies. I am informed that the Otjomuru Primary School started in 2008, and now currently has 45 learners from Grade 1 to Grade 6, due to various challenges including the migration of parents in search of employment. Director of Ceremony, We are gathered here today, to officially inaugurate the Otjomuru Primary School. Government believes that education and the training associated with it, is a principal driver of socio-economic development and income equalizer. We also take cognisance that an uneducated community is often left to survive at the mercy of others. This is a recipe for perpetual poverty, against which all of us have a responsibility to fight. Education has been and will continue to be one of the Namibian government’s key priorities in achieving socio-economic development and nation building. Therefore, the provision of permanent school structures to the Otjomuru Community in the form of the Otjomuru Primary School is equally premised on the Government’s long term objective to build a united and educated Namibian nation. The Office of the Prime Minister will ensure that the same concept of education facilities which we are handing over today is replicated at the other Ovatue and Ovatjimba villages, as soon as the resources are available. No one person, groups, communities or regions within Namibia should feel left out from the development efforts of the Namibian Government. We are all Namibians, and should therefore equally have access to all the available resources in Namibia, to better ourselves as individuals, communities and regions, and contribute to the realisation of the objectives of Vision 2030, namely the comprehensive development of Namibia and her people. I am very impressed, that despite challenges such as the remoteness of this area, high youth unemployment rate, and lack of conducive education facilities, the local communities understood the importance of education and allowed learners to attend school. The most important achievement is that these children can now read and write. Also, I am pleasantly informed that for the first time since we resettled these communities, the Ohaiuua Primary School now has about 7 learners in Grade 7. Soon, Otjomuru Primary School Grade 6 learners will graduate to new classes as Grade Sevens (7s). This is a clear indication that the education program by the Government in this remote area is achieving good results, and we as partners inclusive of parents, teachers, learners and Government should continue to build on the lessons learnt here. Additionally, I am also happy to note that the parents allow their children to juggle education with their household chores such as tending to livestock only after school. It is heart-warming to see that despite challenges posed by the current serious drought in the country, the parents still find courage to keep their children in school. Please continue with this excellent brave effort. Regarding possible problems around drought assistance, such as: the assistance not reaching you, do not hesitate to call upon the Office of the Kunene Governor to assist you in this regard. Director of Ceremony, My predecessors, Hon. Nahas Angula, his Deputy, Dr. Libertina Amathila, and the current Deputy Prime Minister, Hon. Hausiku, through their extensive work among the disadvantaged minority communities, set a solid foundation upon which we continue to build. On December 11, 2011, Hon. Nahas Angula, laid the corner stone for the official commencement of the construction of three class rooms and a store room for the Otjomuru Primary School. Subsequently, the teacher’s quarters were added in proximity to the school to provide better supervision of learners and school property. It is anticipated that in the near future an administration block will be added when resources permit. I am informed all the bricks which built these facilities were made by the community, with over 20 Ovatue and Ovatjimba community members working day and night, alongside the contractor. This exercise imparted brick-making skills and building exposure to the community members who participated in the project. This is a clear indication that the community understood the importance of education and were willing to meet government half-way towards the attainment of national development goals. My task here is therefore very simple but equally important. I am supposed to officially handover the Otjomuru Primary School to the Otjomuru community. However, I will be failing in my duty if I did not say the following. Dear community members, education is not only a government responsibility. Education is dependent on three equally important pillars; the children, the parents and the teachers. If one of these three pillars is omitted in the equation, then it becomes difficult to educationally nurture a child properly. Each of the three pillars has its own role to play. It is the parents’ responsibility to send children to school and support their needs to contribute towards optimal performance in the classrooms, for example making sure that the child has something to eat before going to school. While the children’s responsibility is to respect their teachers and parents and take home impressive academic results, the teacher is there to educate and impart knowledge to the little ones who automatically become the eyes and the ears of knowledge for the community they live in. I therefore, would like to encourage the continuation of this synergy between the three pillars of education in order to develop our communities. Let us always strive for the best and appreciate the little we have at our disposal. It is only when we learn to appreciate the little we have, that we appreciate the added value that it turns out to be. Let us also not allow ourselves to be discouraged by groups of people and individuals whose intentions are to derail good government programmes aimed at developing the less privileged communities in our society, to bring them at par with the mainstream population. Director of Ceremony, and the esteemed community, with these words I declare the Otjomuru Primary School officially opened. I thank you. ...END...
Posted on: Thu, 26 Sep 2013 15:41:51 +0000
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