Namcol introduces new course

THE Namibian College of Open Learning (Namcol) has introduced a Certificate in Early Childhood Development (CECD) course.

The course is the result of collaboration between Namcol, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare and the National Institute for Educational Development (NIED). The development of the CECD programme was funded through the Education and Training Sector Improvement Program (ETSIP). ‘Namcol has identified the need for a programme to address the training needs of kindergarten teachers, or better known as caregivers in our community. Early Childhood Development (ECD) forms an integral part of the ‘Education for All’ agenda, since it ensures a seamless transition to formal education for all Namibian children,’ said Deputy Minister of Education Becky Ndjoze-Ojo.The Director of Community and Integrated Early Childhood Development in the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, Eline Nghiitwikwa, said there had been remarkable growth in the provision of kindergarten education, but most caregivers were not trained and lacked the skills to deliver quality ECD programmes. ‘Thus, the CECD programme was funded through ETSIP with a view to provide an opportunity and appropriate training for prospective students so that all children at pre-school level in Namibia have access to well-trained caregivers to teach and care for them in these formative early years of learning,’ she said. ‘I am confident that this study will attract a pool of suitable candidates with keen interest to work with very young children and enthusiastically prepare them for primary and later formal education,’ she said. The Director of Namcol, Vekaama Murangi, said the CECD course is a one-year distance-learning programme.