Kavango East an employment hub for outsiders – Wakudumo

Bemoaning the high number of qualified teachers “roaming the streets”, Kavango East governor Bonifatius Wakudumo says his region has become an employment destination for outsiders only.In a speech read on his behalf yesterday at an education summit in Rundu, the governor did not mince his words as he called for the transformation of the education sector.Wakudumo’s argument stems from thousands of education graduates from the region watching secondary vacancies filled by teachers from other towns. This after the University of Namibia’s (Unam) Rundu campus only offered education qualifications for lower and upper primary level from 2011 to 2019, leaving graduates in the area underqualified for available positions.Despite the issue having been addressed in 2020, with Unam’s Rundu campus since offering secondary teaching qualifications as well, there still exists a high number of teachers, who graduated with lower and upper primary school qualifications, finding themselves unemployed due to the lack of job opportunities.These teachers are either left to scramble for a job when one is advertised in or outside the region, or forced to reapply at Unam to get secondary school qualifications for a better chance of landing employment, he said.The governor called for equality regarding the transformation of education, urging the education and higher education ministries to “transform our educational institutions, especially the Rundu Unam campus, to provide equal learning opportunities to our student teachers”.“As a region, we cannot only be an employment hub for other regions at the expense of our disadvantaged graduates.”Agriculture college callWakudumo also jumped on the bandwagon of those who - for years - have been calling for the establishment of an agricultural college in the region, seeing as agriculture is the backbone of the regional economy.“It is equally important to note that Kavango East is practically an agricultural region for food production, hence the call to establish an agricultural training institute here. In the past, the Mashare Agricultural Development Institute was instrumental for training, and with no valid reasons, Mashare is now underutilised,” Wakudumo said.He also urged stakeholders to ensure that the financing of infrastructure - such as roads and electricity networks connected to educational institutions in the region – is considered.kenya@namibiansun.com

Kavango East an employment hub for outsiders – Wakudumo

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Namibian Sun 2022-07-04

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Kavango East an employment hub for outsiders – Wakudumo

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Namibian Sun 2022-07-04

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