Food For Thought

* AM a peace-loving Omumbandero who is concerned and ashamed of the squabbles in my community. To me all actions that compromise peace are wrong. I don't see any genuine attempt from both factions to move the peace and reconciliation agenda. The two groups must sober up and hold dialogue. We need peace please not pride and ego. - Peace-loving Omumbandero

A-loota Continua

* I WONDER if our representatives think twice before approving something. In 18 years of Independence, I've not seen or heard a representative consulting with his subjects. What happened to grassroots development? I'm vehemently against the N$38 million to the parliamentarians. We need schools, hospitals. Worst of all there is no money for students at our varsities. Our leaders of tomorrow need education. Please (Legal Assistance Centre) LAC and [National Society for Human Rights] NSHR draft a petition to say no to this and let all the poor and hungry men and women of this soil sign it. This is selfish and self-enrichment for comrades. - Fenton Hardy

* YOUR heading 'A-loota Continua' should be changed to 'Alooting continues' to fit in with the post-Independence culture. - 'A-loota Continua' basically means the same thing: it's a play on the words! - News Editor

* WHAT are the names of those who will get this money [N$38 million pension top-up for MPs]? Keep us informed. The Cabinet resolution should read as follows: "In the name of greedy, selfish, secretive Cabinet resolution give N$38 million to the MPs". Well, why not give them N$300 like our other pensioners.

* THESE are the same people who hunt others in the name of corruption? [Finance Minister] Saara (Kuugongelwa-Amadhila) and your team, if it is true you have concealed the 'pension' money, resign, go.

* NOW that Hidipo Hamutenya is one of the former MPs to benefit from the N$38 million pension payouts, he has not uttered a word. What hypocrisy.

Politics

* JERRY Ekandjo, when we, the farmers and bus and taxi operators, need your opinion, we'll ask for it. We and every other Namibian are independent thinkers and don't need your advice on our choices and decisions. Please don't infect us with your political immaturity. You've become a political embarrassment.

We Hear You

* RESPONSE to Parliament Mobile Training. Currently, we are busy revamping the bus and fitting in new computers. The Parliament Bus will be on the road soon. - Liaison Office, National Assembly

General

* ARE you 'still telling it like it is'? If that is the case, why are you not showing it like it is with some political parties shown in colour, some not and some black-and-white in your newspaper. It seems like there is favouritism. - WE have no political favourites, as we have said time and again. Not every page in the newspaper can take colour, and a photo is a photo. On other occasions space and the volume of news on a particular day determine how many photos we are able to use. It's as simple as that. Nothing more, nothing less. If we had to stop and think about the type of scenario you outline, we would never get a newspaper onto the streets. - News Editor

PLEASE disclose the names of the 'Johns'.

* SEEING that prostitution is unlawful, they should go ahead and release the names of the "high ranking men" so that they may be exposed. Why do they need to pay for attention when they are of influence anyway? Just a thought.

* SILENCING people from voicing their concerns (even if such views are unpopular) is counter-productive and discriminatory. It's typical of what the then apartheid SA regime did to us. Power is sweat and can corrupt people's mind. Its not easy to be fair and neutral in a politicised environment - Haingura Jnr.

Bouquets And Brickbats

* LOVERS of the beautiful game football, the English Premier league is about to kick off this weekend. Do yourself a favour and get in contact with a consultant from GTV. They are the only service providers who can bring 100 per cent of these games to your living room. - Kgalemang Makgone

* I DON'T understand why you have to have an additional advert on the SMS page. They consume most of the space that could have been used for more SMSes. Make a plan for your adverts please.

Disconnections

* DEAR MTC, we the Tango users are sincerely grateful for the free SMSes. But can't you do the same for the contract holders, we would also like to chat to them but they don't reply as often because they are being charged. Please show equality, after all we are all your customers. Thanks for considering.

Labour Issues

* TO the Minister of NDF, or whomever is responsible for recruitment! Please let us (new recruits) know when the training will kick off! You are blocking our way! - Peace Keeper

* WHY is it like this in Namibia? Most of the mines only accept people from NIMT and WTC while our institutes are also recognised by the Government. I want an answer please.

Health Matters

* I'M a former staff member of Andara Hospital. The real reason why people are resigning on a monthly basis is not because they can't cope with the area or the distance to town. The truth is that it's the management. The behaviour and attitudes of some are not acceptable. There are only two doctors left when there are supposed to be five.

* THERE are some MoHSS employees who are accommodated in the nursesf home yet they are receiving housing and transport allowances. The CCO of Central Hospital must rather start looking into this and not just sit there and scrutinise and deny overtime payment for cleaners and labourers who are already overworked and underpaid!

* I WOULD like the Ministry of Health to send health inspectors to Onesi State Hospital where there are cleaners are doing work reserved for health professionals. Please send someone to investigate as soon as possible. - MC

Education

* [UNAM Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Research Osmund] Mwandemele should have explained that Unam moved down from No 16 in 2007 to No 20 in 2008. Is that that not a decline in standards? Poly improved from 32 to 21.

* CAN Unam stop using rankings to hide behind its poor performance? To say we ranked number so and so won't do any good while standards are plunging down. Please stop victimising (Professor Piet) van Rooyen, who is serious about raising standards. - WNM

* CAN Unam tell us why they don't want to pay people who work on contract, we claim but are told that the claims are still on their table still to be discussed.

* THE mess in which Unam finds itself is embarrassing and shameful, what do they teach to labour law and management students?

* MINISTRY of Education: Why is there so much delay with studentsf loans and bursaries. Don't you feel pity that at the moment parents thought to have uncountable numbers of cattle have less than five now. Why? Because of education! - Worried Namibian

* MINISTRY of Education, when are you going to move to the Ohangwena Region? If the administration is done from other regions, how do you expect the performance of schools to improve? Worse is that it is only Ohangwena which did not move its offices to the region, Eenhana in particular. Teachers and learners, who need help from the personnel and other related assistants, have to travel to Ondangwa and most of the time they find office closed as they have only to leave the school after school hours. Please this must be looked at as a matter of agency.

Service Please

* SHOPRITE Independence! Put the right people in the right places. The staff at the back, specifically the bakery, need their customer care skills refreshed. They are scaring customers.

* TELECOM. For days on end my ADSL has not worked. Then it works again, then it's off again. And I have to pay the full amount.

Ministry of Education responds

* THE Ministry of Education has taken time out to respond to a number of the complaints about the Education Sector, which have been SMSed to The Namibian:

* My concern is about Grade 1-3 learners who are taught all subjects in Oshiwambo, except English. Learners are left behind and teachers forget English. Can the Ministry change the system? All the subjects must be taught in English and the teacher must switch to Oshiwambo were the learners do not understand. Here in the North, learners speak only Oshiwambo. - The Language Policy of the Ministry of Education states that all Primary School Learners in Grade 1-3 should be taught in their mother tongue. Although English is the official language in Namibia, as per the Namibian Constitution, there are also provisions in the Constitution to develop our own Namibian languages. Research has also shown that being taught in your mother tongue at an early age helps you to conceptualise (think for yourself in an original and creative manner) better, because a mother tongue is acquired, unlike other languages which are learned. The question therefore, should not be about which language you want your child to be taught in, but which language they need in order to perform better in the higher Grades.

* We need community libraries in the Oshikoto region. Some of us do not know what a library is. Who is responsible for this? - As the News Editor responded earlier, Library and Information Services fall under the Ministry of Education. The Ministry, through the Education and Training Sector Improvement Programme (ETSIP) will expand the access to library and information services, especially in formally disadvantaged areas of the country. We currently have three community libraries in the Oshikoto region, namely Tsinstabis Community Library, Tsumeb Public Library and the Omuthiya Community Library. A new one, called Auala Community Library situated at Oniipa, will soon be open to members of the community. Yours in Education Public Relations Office

Letters Of The Last 48 Hours

•  SMS Of The Day : Wednesday
•  SMS Of The Day : Tuesday