Pohamba speaks out against Unam fraud

PRESIDENT Hifikepunye Pohamba has expressed disappointment at allegations of theft against senior officials at the University of Namibia and warned that he meant business when he spoke about eliminating corruption.

“Such incidents give a bad name to an institution which clearly should be at the forefront of promoting ethical behaviour,” Pohamba said to resounding applause from graduands and guests at the university’s 14th graduation ceremony in Windhoek on Saturday. He urged Unam to guard against such practices and ensure that high standards of excellence and professionalism are maintained.”This is the only way the institution can live up to its mandate of moulding our youth into responsible citizens,” he said.Unam conferred 678 bachelor’s degrees, 25 advanced diplomas or masters’ degrees, four doctorates, including one to Health and Social Services Minister Richard Kamwi, and an honorary doctorate on Saturday.Certificates and diplomas were awarded to 331 Unam students on Friday while a further 333 students from the Unam northern campus and Ogongo are due to graduate this weekend.There were 110 foreign students from 16 countries among the graduands.Pohamba commended the university for introducing a foundation course in English, mathematics and science to assist students in science-related areas, who achieved a 90 per cent pass rate last year.He urged all parties to work harder to train and educate competent professionals who could operate effectively in a highly competitive modern economy.Two critical areas, identified at the recent Round Table Pledging Conference for the Education and Training Sector Improvement Programme (ETSIP), are setting standards for the teaching profession and improving the quality of teacher education in Namibia.The President said he expected Unam to contribute meaningfully to implementing this initiative.”The university is also expected to take the lead in providing professional and academic support for other key areas of this ETSIP including early childhood education, ICT (information and computer technology) in schools and the integration of HIV-AIDS awareness,” he said.Teachers at primary and secondary levels, he said, should be given the necessary tools and resources to ensure pupils have the capacity to attend tertiary institutions with confidence.Such institutions could only perform well if their students, from high school, possessed a correct and strong academic foundation.The Unam Chancellor, Founding President Sam Nujoma, conferred doctoral degrees in geography on Pierre Smit of Unam’s geography department for his research on managing Prosopis-invaded landscapes in Namibia; in agriculture on Neudamm Agricultural College lecturer Axel Rothage for his work on the effect of frame size and stocking rate on the diet of cattle and range condition in the Omaheke Region; in nursing science on Kathe Hofnie-//Hoabes, lecturer in nursing at Unam, for her study on empowering nurse managers to facilitate change management during Namibian health-sector reform; and in science to Health and Social Welfare Minister Dr Richard Kamwi for his research on mosquitoes and the effectiveness of control measures in parts of Namibia.The university also conferred an honorary doctorate in economic science on NovaNam Limited Group chairman Angel Tordesillas Conzalez for his contribution to the country, mainly though developing and conserving Namibia’s fisheries sector.He urged Unam to guard against such practices and ensure that high standards of excellence and professionalism are maintained.”This is the only way the institution can live up to its mandate of moulding our youth into responsible citizens,” he said.Unam conferred 678 bachelor’s degrees, 25 advanced diplomas or masters’ degrees, four doctorates, including one to Health and Social Services Minister Richard Kamwi, and an honorary doctorate on Saturday.Certificates and diplomas were awarded to 331 Unam students on Friday while a further 333 students from the Unam northern campus and Ogongo are due to graduate this weekend.There were 110 foreign students from 16 countries among the graduands.Pohamba commended the university for introducing a foundation course in English, mathematics and science to assist students in science-related areas, who achieved a 90 per cent pass rate last year.He urged all parties to work harder to train and educate competent professionals who could operate effectively in a highly competitive modern economy.Two critical areas, identified at the recent Round Table Pledging Conference for the Education and Training Sector Improvement Programme (ETSIP), are setting standards for the teaching profession and improving the quality of teacher education in Namibia.The President said he expected Unam to contribute meaningfully to implementing this initiative.”The university is also expected to take the lead in providing professional and academic support for other key areas of this ETSIP including early childhood education, ICT (information and computer technology) in schools and the integration of HIV-AIDS awareness,” he said.Teachers at primary and secondary levels, he said, should be given the necessary tools and resources to ensure pupils have the capacity to attend tertiary institutions with confidence.Such institutions could only perform well if their students, from high school, possessed a correct and strong academic foundation.The Unam Chancellor, Founding President Sam Nujoma, conferred doctoral degrees in geography on Pierre Smit of Unam’s geography department for his research on managing Prosopis-invaded landscapes in Namibia; in agriculture on Neudamm Agricultural College lecturer Axel Rothage for his work on the effect of frame size and stocking rate on the diet of cattle and range condition in the Omaheke Region; in nursing science on Kathe Hofnie-//Hoabes, lecturer in nursing at Unam, for her study on empowering nurse managers to facilitate change management during Namibian health-sector reform; and in science to Health and Social Welfare Minister Dr Richard Kamwi for his research on mosquitoes and the effectiveness of control measures in parts of Namibia.The university also conferred an honorary doctorate in economic science on NovaNam Limited Group chairman Angel Tordesillas Conzalez for his contribution to the country, mainly though developing and conserving Namibia’s fisheries sector.