Vice President Lucia Witbooi has called on businesses to help government address education challenges in marginalised communities after securing school and hostel equipment worth more than
N$260 000 for two schools in the Omaheke region.
The donation to Mokganedi Tlhabanello High School and Goeie Hoop Primary School follows Witbooi’s visit to the schools in January this year, when she met school communities and witnessed shortages of essential equipment affecting learners.
The contribution by NAM-MIC Holdings includes basic items such as hostel bed mattresses, chairs, classroom desks and dining tables, which are needed to improve the learning and living conditions of learners.
Speaking at the handover ceremony at Mokganedi Tlhabanello High School on Thursday, Witbooi said the donation showed how partnerships between government and the private sector could turn concerns raised by communities into practical solutions.
“This is precisely the kind of partnership we need as a nation. The Government cannot and should not work alone,” she said.
Witbooi said while the government carries the primary responsibility for providing public services, including education, national development requires cooperation between government, businesses and other institutions.
She encouraged companies and development partners across Namibia to support government efforts by responding to needs identified in communities.
“Where government identifies challenges, the private sector can help us find practical solutions. Where communities have needs, partnerships can help us respond faster and more effectively,” she said.
The Vice President said the contribution was particularly important because many learners attending the two schools come from marginalised communities.
She said access to suitable school and hostel equipment was not merely about providing furniture, but also about ensuring that learners had a dignified environment in which to study, rest and develop.
According to Witbooi, the needs were brought to her attention during her community engagement programme in Omaheke in January.
Following that visit, she approached NAM-MIC Holdings to explore ways of addressing some of the shortages.
She welcomed the company’s response, saying corporate social responsibility was most meaningful when it directly addressed the everyday challenges experienced by communities.
“You have not simply donated school and hostel equipment; you have contributed to the dignity, comfort and educational development of our children,” she said. Witbooi added that government remained committed to creating an environment in which partnerships could flourish and pledged that community engagements would continue to identify practical interventions to improve people’s lives.
She said cooperation between the government and the private sector should ultimately benefit communities and, most importantly, children.
The Vice President also urged school management, teachers and support staff to ensure that the donated equipment was properly maintained and used responsibly.
She called on learners to take care of the desks, chairs and mattresses, stressing that the items should serve future generations as well.
“To our learners, I say: look after what has been entrusted to you. Use the desks, chairs, and mattresses responsibly. Respect your school property,” she said.
She reminded learners that the contribution represented a belief in their potential and their future.
“This contribution is not only about what you have received today. It is a message to you that you matter, your education matters, and your future matters,” Witbooi said.
She further encouraged the schools to protect the donated resources so that learners who enrol in the coming years could also benefit.
The handover ceremony was attended by Omaheke Governor Pijoo Nganate, Kalahari constituency regional councillor Borry Katjiuanjo, Omaheke education director Constance Wantenaar and NAM-MIC Holdings chief executive officer Joshua Kaitungwa, among other officials.
School principals Matengu Mathews Matengu of Mokganedi Tlhabanello High School and Kremecia Shipena of Goeie Hoop Primary School were also present.
Witbooi said the contribution should serve as an example of what could be achieved when government listened to communities, identified their needs and worked with partners to address them. She expressed appreciation to NAM-MIC Holdings for responding to the call for assistance, saying such partnerships could make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.
The donation comes as the two schools receive support aimed at improving the conditions under which learners’ study and, in the case of hostel residents, live.
Witbooi said Namibia’s development depended on shared responsibility and collective investment in children, adding that the equipment should remain a lasting benefit to the school communities.
-ljason@nepc.com.na
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