Over the past six months, FirstRand Namibia Foundation has invested N$2.8 million into the education sector.

This was revealed by the Chairperson of the Foundation Clara Bohitile at the official handover in Windhoek on Tuesday.

The Chairperson of the Foundation Clara Bohitile vowed that the foundation will remain committed to ensuring the provision of quality education to Namibian children, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

She noted that the foundation together with its partners is dedicated to reaching more children to reach their educational goals. 

"We believe that making a smart and effective investment in our youth's education is critical for developing the human capital that will see and end poverty in our country. At the core of this strategy is the need to tackle the learning crises and put an end to learning poverty and help youth acquire advanced cognitive, social economic, technical and digital skills they need to succeed in today's world".

First Lady Monica Geingos, stressed that education cannot be left to Government alone, saying there is a need to support the education sector. 

"20.6 billion allocated to education that's an incredible amount of money. When you think of our policy framework that makes education accessible you look at the money, policy and passion of the leaders that go in but then you see the outcome and the answer says it's not enough. Because the gaps that exist can only be filled by the private sector, we can't have a system like the one we have currently, where government is the main investor in education. It has to be each and every one of us from a private and individual perspective because we all have a stake in the outcomes of young people".

The Deputy Minister of Education, Arts and Culture noted that the ministry is aware that there are rural and extremely remote schools where delivery of quality education is impeded by challenges such as lack of infrastructure and lack of connectivity compared to urban schools.

Given this reality, Faustina Caley says many learners do not receive the equitable quality education as contained in the UN's fourth Sustainable Development Goal. 

"The investment by the FirstRand Namibia Foundation couldn't have come at a better time. Your generosity extended to the ministry of education will go a long way in the education and holistic development of the Namibian child. This is yet another excellent example of PPP which is geared towards our national Vision 2030 and HPP'"

Various beneficiaries such as Early Childhood Development centers, after-school programs, primary and secondary schools and other educational institutions received funds, school materials and other educational resources.