SMSes for Monday 21 January 2013
SMS Of The Day *IF we improve good governance at all levels – government, private, community and personal – then extreme poverty will be history in Namibia. Lack of good governance has created greed, selfishness and a huge gap between the haves and have nots.
Food for Thought
*WHY are we beating around the bush when it comes to the performances of Grades 10 and 12? The reason for the high failure rate is the presence of shebeens, jukeboxes and clubs that are open until late, exam time or not, in the residential areas. No one is fighting for the poor learners, but instead blaming them. Let us be honest.
*THE foreign owned businesses, notably those of Chinese origin, are having a whale of time in this country. If you don’t believe me, just come to Walvis Bay and see the growing number of the Chinese people and their business activities. Etse, what or how much do we owe the Chinese? I fear for the future of this country. I see trouble coming five years down the line.
*I WANT to remind the Minister of Education and his deputy that whatever travelling they are doing, they are doing at GRN cost, while principals have a tough time collecting resources from circuits or regional offices at their own costs. I am humbly pleading with them to start listening to their staff, including the permanent secretary and under-secretaries, instead of exercising an autocratic type of leadership. Next time, send directives to implementers to follow, don’t just direct them through print and electronic media.
*TRIBALISM and racism should not be an issue now. The ruling party and opposition parties failed to address the issue in post-independent Namibia. I hope the next cabinet will reflect the notion of one Namibia, one nation as well as all the permanent secretaries and management cadres. All Namibians are capable of contributing to the economic development of the country, based on qualifications, experience and skills in various fields.
*THE story about Angolan fuel not being good for Namibian cars is nonsense! Just look all these expensive Angolan cars, where do they get petrol when they go home?
*MINISTER of Education, last year teachers wrote English proficiency tests but only a few made it. So how do you expect learners to pass English?
*HOW can you teach people to fish for themselves if there is no ocean?
*THE MOE must really introduce the policy of replacing principals of under performing schools in rural areas. Teachers whose subject results are below standard every year should also be dìsmissed. I am very concerned with Okakarara Secondary School. The director and inspector should intervene.
*TOP performers say “reading is the key”. Hmmm, in Namibia “promotion is the way forward”.
Bouquets and Brickbats
*‘WHERE Others Wavered’, very interesting book. But it leaves some questions unanswered. On page 146, two senior members of Swapo are involved in a fight, namely the SG and VP, leaving the SG paralysed. One wonders what could have caused such a fight between the two most senior members of those who left their motherland to go fight for its liberation. May your souls rest in peace, like all of our fallen heroes.
*I APPLAUD the police in Rundu for finally opening their eyes and enforcing discipline on ladies wearing revealing clothing such as hot pants. Weaker men are the victims of what ladies are wearing nowadays and their mothers will try to find every reason to justify wearing such exposing clothes. Please, Nampol Khomas, go ahead and arrest them under the law of indecent exposure which has already been in place for many years. Even if she is my daughter, arrest her. Rescue the male compatriots from this ‘erotic’ torture.
*CONGRATULATIONS to the top 10 learners and top 10 schools of each region.
*NAMIBIANS are passive people. Even our leaders know this, that is why they do as they please. Look for example at the Minister of Health and the conditions of health facilities and the service by his staff. The man does not care for a single minute. If he cared, we could have read signs starting from the entrance.
*WINDHOEK High School, please reduce your sports activities and give more attention to academic activities. The pass rate for Grade 10 and 12 is very disappointing. We know that, as parents we also have to play our part, but you also need to find out how the top performing rural schools like St. Boniface have managed to maintain such a good passing trend. Sports is good but getting excellent academic results is the best.
*I WOULD like to applaud Sara Naanda on her appointment. The Founding Father’s dream of putting women in key positions has been realised. Yet another woman is appointed to a key position. Air Namibia and now, TransNamib. I am sure these women will make Namibia proud, compared to their male counterparts. Good luck ladies. We will keep you in our prayers.
*ABRAHAM Iyambo, I am a third year student in Windhoek and I have great concern about accommodation fees charged by landlords. Most students come from poor backgrounds. The high rent and constant increases are just putting strains on our parents. On top of rent they have to add taxi fare, food and pocket money. It’s just too much! Please look into this and set a standard, affordable fee for all landlords.
Service Please
*THE service of Prosperity Health sales division is hopeless. The consultants are unfriendly and don’t make it for appointments.
*THIS year the Namibian competition commission must monitor these SMS competitions very strictly please. Last year I lost a lot of money to Daisy Lottery. 15 Polo Vivos were up for grabs on October 31 2012. Needless to say, there was no announcement of a single winner.
*WHY does our government tax us so much, especially on bonuses? Where are the payslips for back pays? When do we get our eight percent increase? Minister of Education, say something.
*NEDBANK, I tried to withdraw N$100 from a Bank Windhoek ATM. I didn’t get the money and when I reported it to be fixed, they charged me a fee of N$105.20. This wasn’t my fault and I lost N$105.20 plus the Saswitch fee of N$15.90 which I was charged for the unsuccessful transaction. N$100 might be little, but every penny counts, just like your charges.
Education
*MY kids were refused stationery at Van Rhyn Primary School until I went to pay N$200 for each child. Please Ministry of Education, give clear directives to the schools. It’s very confusing as it is now. I didn’t want my kids to feel embarrassed.
*EDUCATIONAL joke of the century: A Grade 6 learner can not go to Grade 7 because he/she failed Mathematics. Please, the Minister of Education should intervene. Not all learners are good in Mathematics.
*DAVID Namwandi, why not promote all 16 000 pupils who failed Grade 10? It will make no difference because the education system is in any case a farce.
*WE are confused. Primary schools still send parents stationery lists while the minister states it is free in daily newspapers.
*DAVID Namwandi, I read in today’s (January 17) newspaper that students who got G symbols for their JSC examinations are being transferred to Grade 11. How unfair is this to the children who achieved 22 points in their six best subjects, including English with an A/B symbol? This promotion is based on English so why can’t they also be transferred? Surely there are enough spaces for them in schools.
*MY child only failed English with an F, but passed all the other subjects at Mureti Secondary School at Opuwo, because they didn’t have an English teacher. Now he can’t be admitted at tertiary level. Who’s to be blamed now? The principal, inspector or director of the region? What must I do now, Abraham Iyambo? Look at the results.
*TO all NSSC markers around the country, how can the best learner in Biology get a G symbol when it comes to the result publication? If possible, remark my papers please. I cannot tolerate this nonsense.
*MINISTER of Education, what should we do with the learners who were transferred, because not even their former schools want them. What happened to education being for all?
*IYAMBO, why don’t the VTC students also get change from our loans like the IUM students and students from other institutions? We need some change from our leftover loans so that we can help ourselves with the little that is left after they have deducted our material and such. And with what is left, we can buy ourselves spectacles, for example, which is one of the important things which can help when we have a problem with seeing. There are many with that problem but they can not do anything because their parents cannot afford to buy them and the results that came out at the end of the year, are unproductive because of that problem.
*WHY are NSFAF loan award letters only sent out at the end of February? Most of us who study at international institutions register at the beginning of February!
Labour
*DEFENCE Minister Nahas Angula, we look forward to you to making changes in our ministry, especially at the HR department. Some civilians refuse to rotate simply because some generals are their relatives. We want you to work hard and leave the family story at home.
*HAGE Geingob, all our eyes are on you! When are we getting the housing and transport back pay?
*THIS year the police have to get their money and not just empty promises like last year. Police do a lot of work but they are paid peanuts. They cannot support their families because their salaries are low. The government use the police as if they are not people.
*FRANS Kapofi, when are we going to get our eight percent bonus, those of us who were born between April and December? Why do only some get theirs but not others?