MEMBERS of the marginalised San communities in Namibia have revived the local chapter of a regional education forum, which had been dormant for a couple of years.

A Namibian steering committee of the Southern Africa San Education Forum (Sasef) was elected on Wednesday after a two-day meeting, which also included San representatives from South Africa and Botswana.

Organised by the Working Group of Minorities in Southern Africa (Wimsa), which is has its head office in Windhoek, about 30 delegates deliberated on improving school and tertiary education for their people, who were the first inhabitants of southern Africa and were already living in the region over 10 000 years ago.

"It is important that Sasef Namibia is becoming active again so that San people can participate more in education matters to improve their situation and to advise authorities on their needs as they speak different languages and especially young San children need early childhood education," said Maria Tharacky Namupala of Wimsa.

According to Matheus Shimhopileni, Acting Director of Programmes and Quality Assurance in the Education Ministry, Sasef can serve as a regional think tank on education for the San.

"We must look at successes and challenges of San education with regard to equal access to education."

One of the few San tertiary students in Namibia, Roelien An-aobes of the Haikom at the Windhoek College of Education, gave an account of her road to success.

"I am doing my final year now, hoping to become a teacher in the near future and specialising in Lower Primary. As usual for a San girl, I encountered so many challenges through my primary and secondary school years due to the fact that the fellow learners from other ethnic groups regarded me as a person from an inferior group, calling me names such as somebody with one pair of shoes or 'Bushman' instead of by my own name."

When she finished Grade 12 at Outjo, there was no work for her in that town.

She decided to set up a kindergarten in the squatter area at Outjo, where many San people live.

"We were not paid but did it on a voluntary basis. Later we introduced the kindergarten to (Wimsa) and they assisted us with teaching aids and provided Early Childhood Development (ECD) trainings to us."

An-aobes is also a member of Haikom Youth Group where she is actively involved in traditional dances at Outjo, helping elders to get pension grants and children to get birth certificates. The group also takes part in the San Annual Cultural festival in Botswana.

Through WIMSA, she applied to study at the College of Education and was admitted and has not encountered any discrimination.

"I am kindly requesting Government and NGOs to address San people's situations in terms of education as actively as Wimsa does, because education is the greatest equaliser."

An-aobes urged other young San people not to give up but to work hard despite the challenges.

"Look at me now as a San, I worked seriously that I am here at the college studying like any other people, all you needed is commitment, dedication and perseverance to reach your goals."

There are about 100 000 San people in southern Africa, 30 000 of them in Namibia.

The Sasef Namibia steering committee was elected on Wednesday night and Laurentius Davids, Senior Education Officer for African Languages at the Namibia Institute for Education Development (NIED), became chairman with Maria Tharacky Namupala (Wimsa) his deputy.

Cwisa Cwi, Principal of the Nyae-Nyae Village School in the Tsumkwe Constituency, is the Secretary, while Victoria Haraseb, Wimsa Education Assistant, is his deputy.

Sonner Geria, San Language Board Chairperson of Western Caprivi, was elected as treasurer.

Other elected members of Sasef Namibia are Awebahe //Hoëseb, who is Deputy Education Director for Kunene Region, Kosmos Katura, San representative of the Kavango Region, Eliakim Kavari (Omaheke), Thomas Nakanyala (Oshikoto), Willem Chaka (Caprivi), Menesia Somseb of the San Council, Kathryn Blakemore of the Omaheke San Trust, Chief Frederick Langman (Omaheke), Jenny Moller, Emanuel Manuela and Gerson Kamatuka of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.