Category: Education

Higher Education, Training and Innovation Minister, Itah Kandjii-Murangi has said the development of professional and technical human resources, research, science, technology and innovation infrastructure is the cornerstone of the transformation of the Namibian economy.

Kandjii-Murangi made the remarks during a high-level tertiary education funding budget review dinner held in the capital on Thursday.

She said while almost half of the world’s population is made up of young people it is also evident in Namibia, where the youth constitute 60 per cent of the population, adding that it is for this reason that special attention has to be paid to engaging and imparting the requisite skills to the youth.

‘Young people are the future leaders, in a globalised and interconnected world, modern development theories tell us that innovative human capital is our competitive leverage, thus they are valuable assets and trustees of our posterity. They are, like everybody else, custodians of sustainable development, a role f
or which they should and must be prepared,’ she said.

The minister noted that in the last few years, access to higher education and the diversity of programme offerings at universities have expanded significantly, citing that due to the increase in student numbers, it is imperative to increase the provision of state-of-the-art infrastructure and facilities.

However, one of the strategies that institutions of higher learning can adopt to cater for large numbers of students from ordinary and advanced subsidy school level is to consider introducing bridging programmes, she suggested.

Kandjii-Murangi said her ministry is cognisant of the fact that Namibia has gone through a challenging period characterised by droughts, economic difficulties and the COVID-19 pandemic.

This has impacted Namibians’ ability to enrol their children at higher education institutions and in turn put pressure on the Namibia Student Financial Assistance Fund (NSFAF) in terms of demand for financial support.

In the year 2022, the numbe
r of students receiving financial assistance from NSFAF stood at nearly 15 000 at a cost of N.dollars 1.6 billion, while in 2023 that number grew to approximately 22 000 at a cost of N.dollars 2.1 billion.

The current budget allocation to NSFAF is N.dollars 2.3 billion which represents an increase of N.dollars 200 million from the 2022/2023 budget, she concluded.

The review was held under the theme ‘Funding modalities in the Age of AI, Emerging Sectors, 4IR and 5IR’.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

WINDHOEK: A delegation comprising 90 young Namibians led by Deputy Minister of Sport, Youth and National Service Emma Kantema-Gaomas participated in the 2024 World Youth Festival (WYF) from 01-07 March 2024 in Sochi, Russia.

The WYF is the largest youth event in the world held by decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The festival hosted 20 000 young Russian and foreign leaders and serves as a platform for youth empowerment, cultural exchange and discussions on pressing global issues.

On 03 March the deputy minister participated in the Global Forum of Young Diplomats, a side event of the WYF 2024, where she said: ‘Namibia is committed to turning the youth bulge into an opportunity, by intensifying efforts in implementing the African Union’s Agenda 2063, which envisions an Africa where development is people-driven, relying particularly on the potential offered by its youth.’

She also said that harnessing demographic dividend is not without its challenges, adding that it requires strategic investment in
education, employment and empowerment, particularly of young women and men.

She further said that, as the world discusses the democratic dividend in Africa, they should consider that Africa is the youngest continent. By 2050, it is projected that Africa’s youth population (aged 15-24) will be more than double the 2015 total of 226 million.

‘Namibia is fostering environments where innovation can thrive by promoting an entrepreneurial atmosphere, and providing platforms for skills development. The aim is to ensure that every young person in Namibia can contribute meaningfully to our nation’s prosperity,’ Kantema-Gaomas added.

She also said that to this end, the Russia-Africa partnership plays a critical role in this developmental journey, adding that the collaborative efforts in education, technical training, and cultural exchange programmes have been invaluable in enhancing the capacity of young people.

The festival covered different fields such as business, media, international cooperation, culture, scien
ce, education, volunteering and charity, sports and various areas of public life.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

WINDHOEK: The University of Namibia (UNAM) Foundation is prioritising the construction of an academic hospital for the training of medical practitioners and for enhanced access to quality care for Namibians.

The construction will cost an estimated N.dollars 1.9 billion, the UNAM Foundation Brand and Fundraising Project’s Executive Director, Bernadette Bock, said during the launch of the project here on Wednesday.

Bock said Namibia is challenged by limited specialised care, healthcare workforce shortages, gaps in training and research, and unequal access to quality medical care, which warrants the construction of an academic hospital.

‘I think it is a well-known fact that unfortunately we still experience unequal access to quality medical care, so the solution the university proposed for this is to pioneer state-of-the-art medical infrastructure,’ she said.

Bock explained that the university hospital will conduct applied and basic scientific research based on Namibia’s health challenges and will use cuttin
g-edge technology and therapies.

She noted that the expected impact is improving healthcare standards, skills development and employment creation, as well as increased community health services through outreach programmes and advanced medical research technology, innovation and medical services specialisation.

According to the strategic development projects booklet issued the total estimated cost for the construction of the academic hospital is N.dollars 1 972 065 233 (USD 105 065 420).

At the same event, UNAM’s Vice Chancellor Kenneth Matengu said the foundation aims to promote and facilitate the development and achievement of higher education objectives as a non-profit organisation.

‘To achieve this, we need support which includes investing in UNAM through the foundation… No support is ever too little; every donation has the potential to make an immense impact,’ he said.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

WINDHOEK: Aging, inadequate infrastructure, technology and facilities at the University of Namibia (UNAM) limits the implementation of the university’s newly transformed curriculum, UNAM Foundation Executive Director Bernadette Bock, has said.

Speaking at the launch of the UNAM Foundation Brand and Fundraising Project here on Wednesday, Bock said there is a need to enable hybrid learning and teaching classrooms of the future to efficiently implement the new curriculum which adopted a blended learning approach as its overarching pedagogical model of delivery.

UNAM has transformed all their undergraduate programmes in response to the needs of the fourth and fifth Industrial Revolutions.

These programmes were implemented in 2023 in a variety of disciplines including agriculture, engineering, natural sciences, commerce, management, law, education, human sciences, health sciences and veterinary medicine.

She noted that some of the foundation’s projects include finding solutions geared towards learning, teachin
g facilities and technologies responding to both the fourth and fifth Industrial Revolutions, and to align to industry needs.

‘With this we hope to impact student performance and completion rates, we hope to enhance lecturers’ productivity… We are targeting increased graduate employability and increasing inclusion of students with disabilities and varying learning abilities,’ she said.

Amongst other challenges, Bock highlighted that not all phases of UNAM’s veterinary hospital are completed. This negatively impacts teaching, practical learning and animal health services to the public. Bock said the foundation will amongst others aims to ensure a fully equipped and functional animal hospital by developing the final phases of the construction.

Equally, she noted, practical teaching training in vocational education at the school of education is compromised due to the lack of adequate vocational equipment.

‘The challenge here is that teachers are being trained to teach vocational subjects in secondary schools
but they don’s have the equipment… So the teachers being trained need the equipment to test their skills and their knowledge to be able to transfer that knowledge to the students once they go into the labour market and start teaching,’ she stressed.

Bock further said starting with the Khomasdal campus in Windhoek, the foundation project aims to equip the campus workshop with the required vocational equipment to renew and optimise outdated spaces and prime them for the development of a Bachelor of Education programme focused on vocational education.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

WINDHOEK: Minister of Higher Education, Education, Technology, and Innovation, Itah Kandjii-Murangi, on Wednesday inaugurated the national space science council, consisting of six members, a first for Namibia.

The council’s primary role, according to Kandjii-Murangi, is to advise the government on matters pertaining to space science and technology policy as well as regional and international instruments.

The newly appointed members are Peter Ndemuweda from the Namibia Defense Force, Riaan Steenkamp, an academic, Laban Hiwilepo, a telecommunications and electronics engineer, Eliakim Hamunyela, an environmental scientist, Loide Shaparara, a lawyer, and Victoria Munenge, an IT specialist. The members will serve for a period of three years.

‘The main functions of the council are to advise the commission on the development and implementation of a National Space Science and Technologies Agenda in all relevant sectors. Their functions include but are not limited to the review and implementation of National Space
Science Policy and Strategy, Ethics in Space Science research, identification of space science activities relevant to Namibia, as well as the promotion and development of space science research,’ Kandjii-Murangi said.

The council will further serve as a nexus for collaboration between academia, industry and government agencies.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

WINDHOEK: Minister of higher education, technology and innovation, Itah Kandjii-Murangi-Murangi on Wednesday announced the implementation of the Bioeconomy strategy, which was approved by Cabinet in November 2019.

The strategy will run from 2024 to 2029. The acceleration of biotechnology to national development can contribute to poverty alleviation, and catalyze sustainable economic development, Kandjii-Murangi said.

Kandjii-Murangi was speaking during the inauguration of a space council launched by the National Commission on Research Science and Technology (NCRST), where she stressed that from 2019, her ministry, in cooperation with the NCRST and with the financial and technical assistance of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and the Bioeconomy Multisectoral working group, coordinated the development of the National Bioeconomy Strategy.

The production, utilization, conservation and regeneration of biological resources, including related knowledge, science, technology, and i
nnovation form part of the strategy.

‘The bioeconomy strategy is anchored in key stakeholder-identified sectors of the country that immensely contribute to economic growth, namely; health, agriculture, and natural resource/environment. In line with the Revised Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy 2020, the bioeconomy strategy implementation will ensure the promotion of research and development in biotechnology and bio-based industries,’ Kandjii-Murangi-Murangi added.

According to her, the strategic initiatives set out in the strategy are aimed at promoting opportunities for smallholder farmers, rural communities, and marginalised groups to participate in and benefit from bioeconomic activities in improving climate-affected agricultural production.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency