Frederick Philander
27 November 2009
Windhoek — The Development Bank of Namibia (DBN) on Wednesday donated N$1 million towards the repair costs of two badly flood-damaged schools in the north.
The donation was received by the Minister of Education, Nangolo Mbumba, who invited other donors also "to come to the party" in supporting education.
"This donation confirms the argument that smart private-public partnerships can bear fruit and tangible benefits. Such partnerships can help to improve and accelerate education and learning, create new opportunities for employability, strengthen local communities and help all citizens realize their potential," Mbumba said.
According to him, such partnerships can also help break the vicious cycle of traditional barriers such as poverty, age, disability and a lack of education.
"Various schools have been affected by the flooding in the northern regions this year. These unforeseen events reduced the available funds for the advancement of learning countrywide.
"It is during such times that the Government relies on private and public enterprises to assist in fulfilling its obligations to the Namibian people - in this case primary and secondary school learners," he said in the presence of Francis Cooper, a representative of the Prime Minister's Office responsible for natural disasters.
The Development Bank pledged rebuilding the damaged infrastructure at the two schools it is now financially supporting.
"The N$1 million was allocated to repair damages at Onesi Secondary School in the Omusati Region and Ohangwena Primary School in the region with the same name. During the flooding the secondary school had to be closed down for three months. The existing eight girls' hostel blocks were flooded in May, forcing the home-sending of 396 female learners," the minister recalled.
The same secondary school will now receive new hostels before the start of the 2010 school year as well as teaching aids such as textbooks, tape recorders, photocopiers and fax machines.
"Some of the clay brick constructed classrooms of the Ohangwena Primary School crumbled during the floods, making the building unsafe for learning.
"This school urgently needs two classrooms and a storeroom before the next school calendar in order to accommodate the learners currently taught in temporary sheds," he said of the school with 1 044 learners.
The chairperson of the DBN, Elize Angula, cited the bank's donation as groundbreaking in supporting educational development.
"Infrastructure development is a core element of the DBN's mandate to help ensure economic growth in the country.
"Economic activity in any given area starts with the establishment of the required infrastructure, igniting other developments.
"Furthermore, investment decisions are based on the availability of enabling infrastructure in any given area," Angula said.
She recognized the fact that a nation can only be built if the leaders of tomorrow are empowered.
"Supporting the establishment of learning centres is one way of creating a conducive environment in which the youth can learn and flourish.
"So far the DBN has assisted schools in various ways through its bridging finance facility that has enabled thousands of learners previously taught under trees and in sheds to experience the comfort of a proper classroom, shielded from the harsh elements of nature," she concluded.
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