Govt has betrayed the youth - Venaani
Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) leader McHenry Venaani has lambasted government for betraying the youth, who are being stifled in their pursuit of a better life.
During an interview with a group of unemployed graduate nurses, Venaani said government's failure to create jobs for poor Namibians, who were sent to study in order to break the cycle of poverty, is a drain on their parents.
Venaani is holding a series of meetings with graduates in key sectors, who are currently unemployed, and will this week table a motion in parliament highlighting their plight.
“At the end of the day, when these students have graduated, there are no jobs for them. How can you train your own and then you freeze jobs in a sector, where there is a dire shortage?” he questioned.
Venaani also appealed to private medical institutions to take in at least one Namibian graduate and train them to perfection, as part of their social responsibility initiatives.
The leader of the group of unemployed graduate nurses, Junias Shilunga, told Venaani they are stranded because without experience they cannot start a private practice or even emigrate.
“We have tried to engage the government, but we are told there is are no vacancies. We also have concrete evidence that the ministry is recruiting some people via the backdoor. People are called to start work the next day and we were never told there are vacancies,” said Shilunga.
The graduate nurses also accused government of sidelining Namibian nurses in favour of foreigners, saying there is no memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Namibia and Zimbabwe, which compels the Namibian government to employ nurses from the neighbouring country.
“There is only a bilateral agreement between Kenya and for one nurse from Ethiopia for the cardiac unit. The Zimbabwean nurses who are here applied to the ministry out of their own and not through an agreement,” he said.
Health permanent secretary Petronella Masabane said there are no frozen posts.
“When we have funded vacancies of an important nature, we request from the secretary to cabinet that we fill such vacancies, if we have the funds,” she said.
She added there is in fact a bilateral agreement with the Zimbabwean government, but that the neighbouring country's health professionals are in Namibia on individual contracts.
“We have not recruited health professionals in terms of the agreement.”
JEMIMA BEUKES
During an interview with a group of unemployed graduate nurses, Venaani said government's failure to create jobs for poor Namibians, who were sent to study in order to break the cycle of poverty, is a drain on their parents.
Venaani is holding a series of meetings with graduates in key sectors, who are currently unemployed, and will this week table a motion in parliament highlighting their plight.
“At the end of the day, when these students have graduated, there are no jobs for them. How can you train your own and then you freeze jobs in a sector, where there is a dire shortage?” he questioned.
Venaani also appealed to private medical institutions to take in at least one Namibian graduate and train them to perfection, as part of their social responsibility initiatives.
The leader of the group of unemployed graduate nurses, Junias Shilunga, told Venaani they are stranded because without experience they cannot start a private practice or even emigrate.
“We have tried to engage the government, but we are told there is are no vacancies. We also have concrete evidence that the ministry is recruiting some people via the backdoor. People are called to start work the next day and we were never told there are vacancies,” said Shilunga.
The graduate nurses also accused government of sidelining Namibian nurses in favour of foreigners, saying there is no memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Namibia and Zimbabwe, which compels the Namibian government to employ nurses from the neighbouring country.
“There is only a bilateral agreement between Kenya and for one nurse from Ethiopia for the cardiac unit. The Zimbabwean nurses who are here applied to the ministry out of their own and not through an agreement,” he said.
Health permanent secretary Petronella Masabane said there are no frozen posts.
“When we have funded vacancies of an important nature, we request from the secretary to cabinet that we fill such vacancies, if we have the funds,” she said.
She added there is in fact a bilateral agreement with the Zimbabwean government, but that the neighbouring country's health professionals are in Namibia on individual contracts.
“We have not recruited health professionals in terms of the agreement.”
JEMIMA BEUKES
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