Japanese govt builds classrooms across country

Jemima Beukes
Jemima BeukesIMPALILA ISLAND

With many government schools bursting at the seams and forced to erect makeshift structures to accommodate the growing number of learners, the Japanese government has stepped in to build classrooms and ablution facilities across the country.During the latest handover in the Zambezi Region last month, education minister Anna Nghipondoka expressed gratitude to the Japanese embassy, whose aid will help many learners stay in school, she said.

The handover at Malundu Junior Primary School included three classrooms and a storeroom worth N$921 000, and was aimed to alleviate the dire shortage of infrastructure, which - according to Nghipondoka - is a ‘headache’ to government.

The embassy also handed over a grant worth N$960 000 for the construction of four permanent classrooms and a storeroom at Impalila Combined school, which will allow the school to continue up to Advanced Subsidiary (AS) level.

“Situations... where learners have to travel long distances really give the ministry a headache because for some of our learners, it means they would drop out of school.

“This just goes to reveal the dire need for more classrooms and the extent to which our children do not receive education in conducive classrooms as they deserve to. It is with great pleasure that I take this opportunity to truly thank the government of Japan for putting their weight behind the edu-socio development of our learners,” she said.

Education

Japanese ambassador Hisao Nishimaki explained that the funding of these projects comes from the Japanese Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects, which aims to directly and immediately impact the well-being of communities at grassroots level.

“We believe that education is the base of the future of Namibia. We believe primary education will form the life of ourselves. If we support the learners of Impalila Combined School to continue their education in this school up until AS level, their paths to the prosperous future will be widened.”

Volunteers

The Japanese government has further granted equipment worth N$42 million to the Zambezi Vocational Training Centre for new workshops for auto mechanics, refrigeration and air-conditioning.

Since 2006, the Japan International Cooperation Agency has deployed a total of 158 volunteers to various schools, regional government offices and vocational training centres.

The Japanese government has also trained over 1 600 Namibians in that country.

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Namibian Sun 2024-11-23

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