NAMIBIA is among the world’s richest countries that are blessed with abundant natural resources yet this is a nation that has people going to bed hungry and children with untapped potential who could be put to good use through the creation of education opportunities. But alas, their dreams are quickly compromised because of ‘lack of funds’ to further their education at all levels (be it academic or vocational training).
I sincerely believe that every person and child in his beloved country of ours can be assisted to further their education (if the resources of the nation truly benefit all) through equitable distribution of our abundant resources.It is against this background that I am suggesting that discussions be put into motion to consult with all stakeholders to strategise on a common and mutual national position on the way forward.This is to enable all stakeholders and especially the private sector as well as all those with access to the country’s national resources to be part of the dialogue to jointly address developmental and social matters as a national priority. This is not a matter of sensitising all stakeholders about national developments, but to inform them about their respective responsibilities towards nation building through a coordinated way of resource mobilisation.That the joint resources mobilisation be viewed as a tool that will lead to equitable and sustainable resource distribution that will lay the foundation for a conducive environment to operate in.To achieve the above objectives the focus must be on education which is the basis for equipping individuals to be able to help themselves and therefore leading to decentralised development all over the country.Decentralised development will ease on the active population especially flocking to main towns and the capital in search of employment but will be able to find an economic activity even in the villages for survival.Surely if we do, the objectives of our National Development Plans and Vision 2030 that Namibia has set herself will become a reality, thus making the country a prosperous nation with highly educated and skilled people to effective and efficiently drive the economy to another level.To achieve the above, it is important for the Government of the Republic of Namibia to take some bold steps to make it mandatory to companies with interest in the country’s natural resources to contribute a certain percentage to be agreed upon that will be channelled towards a National Educational Trust Fund (NEDTF). The NEDTF’s main objectives will be to liaise with the different schools or regional district educational directorates to identify the Namibian child to be sponsored from this fund.NEDTF should have a board of trustees composed of representatives from the different sectors of the economy, i.e. chamber of mines, confederation of the fishing industry, tourism, meat association and so on.As a body composed of sector experts, the board of trustees should be able to guide the national strategic plans in matching the industrial/economic and social requirements at the national level, i.e. how many doctors do we need, biologists and engineers, etc.With this in mind, I believe that if we want to see Namibia as the ‘small Switzerland’ of Africa, this is the way to go. The NEDTF will therefore be a source from which educational resources will be drawn from, thus enabling Namibia to overcome scarcity of resources to educate our people, and hence leading to not only improving our national skills in particular, but also empowering our generations and alleviating poverty in general.In conclusion, when we have educated citizens we have a skilled workforce, when we have a skilled workforce, we as a nation will enjoy economic progress and wealth creation. It is against that background that a concerted effort between all stakeholders, i.e. the government, private sector and foreign development partners should be made a national priority for mutual benefit.Matthew HambudaWalvis Bay
