Hands off my baby - Nahas
Former Prime Minister Nahas Angula has told higher education minister Itah Kandjii-Murangi to keep her hands off his Community Skills Development Centres.
Higher education and training minister, Itah Kandjii-Murangi, and former Prime Minister Nahas Angula are embroiled in a dispute over the country’s Community Skills Development Centres (COSDECs).
The centres are currently owned by the Namibia Community Skills Development Foundation (COSDEF), but are fully funded by government.
In 1998, while at the helm of the education ministry, Angula initiated the establishment of the COSDECs, which have been funded by the higher education ministry through the Namibia Training Authority (NTA) since their establishment.
Since the inception of the COSDEF, also in 1998, Angula has been the chairman of the board of trustees.
It also emerged recently that when he established the foundation, it was registered as a trust and not a government institution.
Angula, who unsuccessfully stood against President Hage Geingob for the Swapo presidency during last year’s party elective congress, confirmed to Namibian Sun that Kandjii-Murangi had written to him last year to enquire how the COSDECs were established.
“The COSDECs are unique training institutions targeting out-of-school and unemployed youth. The minister of higher education has been pushing for the COSDECs to introduce entry requirements. Those requirements will deny the youth on the margin an opportunity to have a start in life,” Angula said.
“She wrote a letter to me last year on this subject and I explained to her how the COSDECs were established. She never came back to me. As for the funding, when I was the minister responsible for education and training I established the Namibia Training Authority to support vocational education and training providers.”
Kandjii-Murangi and attorney-general Albert Kawana could not be reached for comment.
However, reliable sources said Kandjii-Murangi is pushing for government to take over the operations of the COSDECs from the COSDEF.
She has also reportedly registered a dispute with the attorney-general’s office.
Angula said other private training providers are supported by the vocational education and training (VET) Levy, through the NTA, such as the Namibian Institute of Mining and Technology (NIMT), but government is not questioning them.
“Why does the minister not take over NIMT? Why only the COSDECs? If the minister still has a problem, let her proceed with whatever action she deems necessary,” he fumed.
In 2013, the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA)-Namibia, through funding from the United States government, gave N$154 million for the renovation of four COSDECs in Ondangwa, Tsumeb, Otjiwarongo and Opuwo, and for the construction of new COSDECS in Rundu, Gobabis and Swakopmund, as well as the construction of an arts and crafts centre in the coastal town.
Namibian Sun has been reliably informed that although COSDEF regulates all seven COSDECs and is registered as a private trust, it has continued to benefit from its close ties with the education ministry since its inception.
Currently 85% of the COSDECs’ funding comes directly from the foundation.
The COSDEF budget is funded by the education ministry, through the NTA.
Special projects are funded by various donor agencies, the private sector and individual sponsorships.
Each COSDEC is expected to generate 15% of its total yearly budget through its own initiatives.
Although the centres may lobby for additional donor funds, they are encouraged to set up ‘production units’ linked to their training programmes, in order to generate their own funds.
ILENI NANDJATO
The centres are currently owned by the Namibia Community Skills Development Foundation (COSDEF), but are fully funded by government.
In 1998, while at the helm of the education ministry, Angula initiated the establishment of the COSDECs, which have been funded by the higher education ministry through the Namibia Training Authority (NTA) since their establishment.
Since the inception of the COSDEF, also in 1998, Angula has been the chairman of the board of trustees.
It also emerged recently that when he established the foundation, it was registered as a trust and not a government institution.
Angula, who unsuccessfully stood against President Hage Geingob for the Swapo presidency during last year’s party elective congress, confirmed to Namibian Sun that Kandjii-Murangi had written to him last year to enquire how the COSDECs were established.
“The COSDECs are unique training institutions targeting out-of-school and unemployed youth. The minister of higher education has been pushing for the COSDECs to introduce entry requirements. Those requirements will deny the youth on the margin an opportunity to have a start in life,” Angula said.
“She wrote a letter to me last year on this subject and I explained to her how the COSDECs were established. She never came back to me. As for the funding, when I was the minister responsible for education and training I established the Namibia Training Authority to support vocational education and training providers.”
Kandjii-Murangi and attorney-general Albert Kawana could not be reached for comment.
However, reliable sources said Kandjii-Murangi is pushing for government to take over the operations of the COSDECs from the COSDEF.
She has also reportedly registered a dispute with the attorney-general’s office.
Angula said other private training providers are supported by the vocational education and training (VET) Levy, through the NTA, such as the Namibian Institute of Mining and Technology (NIMT), but government is not questioning them.
“Why does the minister not take over NIMT? Why only the COSDECs? If the minister still has a problem, let her proceed with whatever action she deems necessary,” he fumed.
In 2013, the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA)-Namibia, through funding from the United States government, gave N$154 million for the renovation of four COSDECs in Ondangwa, Tsumeb, Otjiwarongo and Opuwo, and for the construction of new COSDECS in Rundu, Gobabis and Swakopmund, as well as the construction of an arts and crafts centre in the coastal town.
Namibian Sun has been reliably informed that although COSDEF regulates all seven COSDECs and is registered as a private trust, it has continued to benefit from its close ties with the education ministry since its inception.
Currently 85% of the COSDECs’ funding comes directly from the foundation.
The COSDEF budget is funded by the education ministry, through the NTA.
Special projects are funded by various donor agencies, the private sector and individual sponsorships.
Each COSDEC is expected to generate 15% of its total yearly budget through its own initiatives.
Although the centres may lobby for additional donor funds, they are encouraged to set up ‘production units’ linked to their training programmes, in order to generate their own funds.
ILENI NANDJATO
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