Frederick Philander
6 May 2008
Windhoek — "It is very inspiring to observe the willingness and eagerness of the private sector and non-governmental organisations to get more and more involved in the development of Namibia's education system."
So said the Minister of Education, Nangolo Mbumba, on Wednesday at a bursary handing over ceremony by Sanlam Namibia.
"The education and training sector is too important to be left to Government alone. Government believes that education is a partnership and families, communities, civil society and the private sector are therefore expected to make a contribution to education and training within their means.
"After 17 years of independence, Namibia finds itself still facing huge challenges in the education sector. Despite numerous reform programmes over the past years, output in this sector still remains relatively poor. In order to address the challenges the ministry developed and launched an efficiency improvement programme in education and training, known as ETSIP," the minister said.
"I have certainly seen an increase in the private sector and other educational stakeholders to get more involved and meet the Government halfway in addressing the shortcomings and shortages in the education sector. Sanlam has been operating in Namibia for decades, making it one of the most firmly embedded long-term insurance companies currently operating in the country.
"I am made to understand that Sanlam Namibia believes that education is the backbone of development for any country and the financial services industry, in particular, depends on skilled employees," he said.
To this end and to contribute to educational development, Sanlam Namibia focuses on encouraging the culture of learning, promoting and developing areas of learning relevant to the financial sector of the economy and providing financial assistance as well as learning equipment.
Sanlam Namibia's main initiatives in this area are targeted at individuals (students, educators) as well as educational institutions. In 2002, Sanlam Namibia introduced a reward-based bursary scheme to motivate, encourage and award high-performing and hard-working students without financial assistance at higher institutions in Namibia as well as those studying in South Africa, where the course is not offered in Namibia.
To qualify and be eligible for the Sanlam Bursary Scheme, a student must be registered with a tertiary institution in Namibia or South Africa and should have convincingly passed with an average of 75% during that academic year.
"The bursary is only available from second year onwards. It is my understanding that all bursary recipients today have convincingly achieved an average of 75% during the 2007 academic year. Due to the nature of Sanlam's business, only students studying towards a degree or diploma in accounting and finance, actuarial science, marketing, information technology, business administration (commerce), media studies, communication science and human resources are considered and awarded scholarships," he said.
Since 2002, a total of 22 students, mostly from previously disadvantaged backgrounds across Namibia, have benefited from the Sanlam Bursary Scheme.
To date, over N$700 000 has been invested in the education of Namibians through the Sanlam Bursary Scheme. The scheme covers costs for tuition and accommodation, book fees, registration fees and where possible also offers pocket money to students.
"Besides offering students financial assistance, Sanlam Namibia also offers opportunities for the bursary holders to gain practical experience by providing bursary holders with working opportunities during holidays, as well as internships," he said.
Today is another testimony of serious corporate social investment where Sanlam Namibia puts their money where their hearts, minds and mouths are, said the minister.
"Let me take this opportunity to congratulate all the bursary recipients from this programme. May this programme empower our educational leaders and managers in school for the long-term benefit of our learners and the development of our country's human resources.
"To date, five of the 22 bursary holders have been permanently employed by Sanlam Namibia in the IT, finance and marketing departments, while others opted to find employment elsewhere," he concluded.
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