Windhoek — The University of Namibia (Unam) signed an agreement with the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development (AECID) that will consolidate the Spanish programme in the Department of Languages and Literature Studies for 2013.

Spain has been supporting the university's language department since 1995, support that has culminated in the university implementing a three-year programme to respond to an increasing demand for enrolment in Spanish.

The number of Namibian students who sat for the examination to achieve the official diploma in Spanish as a foreign language increased 83 percent this year.

The new agreement was signed on December 05 by Unam vice-chancellor Prof. Lazarus Hangula and Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain to Namibia Carmen Díez.

The ambassador expressed satisfaction with the level of interest shown by Namibians to learn a language spoken by 420 million people around the world. Every year, in November, the Cervantes Institute, through the Embassy of Spain in Namibia, offers the possibility to take an exam to achieve the Official Diploma of Spanish as a Foreign Language (DELE).

The Spanish lecturer is in charge not only of teaching Spanish to the students, but will also continue to organize the group "¡QUÉ PASA! Spanish Club", which was established in May 2012. The club organises extra-mural cultural activities, such as the broadcasting of Ibero-American movies or the organisation of competitions.