FOUNDING President Sam Nujoma said despite big support from Government, only few schools rise to the occasion and produce good results at the end of the year, while a large number of learners at schools produce poor results that are not encouraging at all.
Nujoma was speaking at the introduction of Chief Justice Peter Shivute as the patron of the Olupaka Combined School in Omusati region on Saturday.Nujoma was also nominated by the school board as the school’s Goodwill Ambassador, to raise funds for the school’s development. He said the poor performance at schools is because many teachers, learners and parents are nowadays less committed to education and many are spending most of their time consuming alcohol in cuca shops and shebeens.Education is needed to build and develop the country, but if the citizens of that country drink alcohol too much, or use drugs, such a nation will never know how to develop itself, Nujoma said.’I am calling upon traditional leaders to seriously look into the abuse of alcohol in the villages. I am calling upon the Traditional Chief of Ombalantu tatekulu Oswin Mukulu, and your Traditional Council, to seriously look into this issue. You must start looking into the operation and influence of cuca shops. This is a disease and must be stopped before our people become total slaves of alcohol,’ Nujoma, who looked angry and disappointed, told a huge gathering at Olupaka.He said parents are not at home to look after their children anymore as it has been in the past. They are at cuca shops the whole day, while the children are alone at home and nobody there to prepare food for them. ‘This is a disease people, we must stop it immediately,’ Nujoma said. He also called on teachers and learners to stop using alcohol and commit themselves to education, for their own sake, and to develop Namibia. Nujoma also appealed to Namibians to respect their tradition and their culture. He said a nation without traditions is nothing, and young people, especially, must learn and obey their traditions and live according to their traditional norms and values. He said Namibians, especially the youth, must learn to respect their leaders, both political, church and traditional leaders and their elderly people.Nujoma said the Government of Namibia’s primary objective is to ensure that all children have access to quality education. This is why we built primary and secondary schools in all 13 regions, expanded educational programmes at the vocational training centres, teacher training centres as well as institutions of higher learning, such as the Polytechnic and the University of Namibia. He said Government provided all the educational resources the learners need, including classrooms, teachers and other teaching materials, and that the responsibility is now with the learners to take their education seriously and not to spoil it with alcohol and drugs. He said there is a bright future ahead for those who work hard at school and achieve academic excellence. ‘Hard work, discipline and respect for the teachers, and parents at home, are the ingredients for academic success,’ Nujoma said.
