Building a brighter future

TUYEIMO HAIDULAEENHANA Moses Amukwaya cannot wait to build beautiful houses and “make Namibia a beautiful country”. He is a hearing-impaired learner at Usko Nghaamwa Special School in Ohangwena, and prefers his practical schoolwork over theory. Speaking through his interpreter and teacher, Nathan Kambode, Amukwaya says he enjoys bricklaying the most, as he is an aspiring builder.“I cannot wait to build beautiful houses once I have completed my training at the vocational training centre. From the school, I am going to continue at the Eenhana Vocational Training Centre and make Namibia a beautiful country,” he said.Amukwaya and his fellow learners now have an equipped building that will prepare them to enter further vocational training.This is part of government's efforts towards inclusive education for all learners. According to principal Loide Shipanga, the training will enable learners to become professionals, support themselves and contribute to the development of the country and the communities they live in. Overcoming barriersThe basic pre-vocational skills course is designed for learners who face barriers to learning. It aims to help them qualify either for a trade or to be skilled up in vocational training, and serves as a foundation for further training. Subjects offered include bricklaying, woodwork, plumbing, hairdressing and housekeeping, among others.“With such pre-vocational education, we want the learners to gain experience in practical and not academic jobs, so that they can join the national vocational training institutes,” she said. “The education ministry introduced the project to help the hearing-impaired pupils through basic practical skills in these fields,” Shipanga said, adding that “the staff members are really our biggest supporters”. “They fight for these children.” Teacher Tobias Nendongo said while the objectives of the project include supporting government in strengthening and improving health, and to benefit children with special needs in the country, it has been specifically designed to directly improve the situation of those with disabilities, especially the hearing-impaired. ChallengesWhen Namibian Sun visited the school last Friday, the excitement and determination of the pupils was tangible, as they constructed a concrete floor for one of their classrooms. Although the school has a computer lab and two workshop classrooms, they still have needs that the education ministry has not been able to address. These include a permanent structure for a workshop, which is currently made out of corrugated iron, as well as protective clothing for learners and wheelbarrows. Despite this, the rooms are equipped with benches and office chairs, computers installed with programmes and internet access, and the lab has a television mounted to the wall, while the interior walls are neatly painted. Another challenge the school faces is providing adequate professional trainers in each field. In future, the school hopes to include tailoring, cooking carpentry, electrical, plumbing and accountancy courses, among others. Sign languageNamibian National Association of the Deaf director Paul Nanyeni said although the education ministry has recommended Namibian sign language (NSL) as the medium of instruction in schools for the deaf, and those catering for them, NSL is yet to gain the status of an official language for the hearing-impaired.“It is also not promoted on par with other indigenous languages at government level, with the exception of the education ministry that has included it in the curriculum as a language for use in schools for the deaf,” he said. Curriculum reforms for basic education were created by cabinet directives, based on the outcomes of the national conference on education held in 2011, and were implemented about a year and a half ago. At Usko Nghaamwa, implementation was completed this year. Other schools offering the two-year course are Pioneer Boys School, Eros Girls, Eluwa Special School, Klein Aub Resource School, Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila Resource and Vocational School, Leevi Hakusembe Senior Secondary and Khorab Secondary School.

Building a brighter future

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Namibian Sun 2026-07-08

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Building a brighter future

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Namibian Sun 2026-07-08

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