The quality of learning in the Kunene Region continues to be affected by high cases of school dropouts and teenage pregnancies.
This was stated by regional education Deputy Director Petrus Shipalanga during a briefing with EU Ambassador to Namibia Ana Beatriz Martins at Khorixas last week.
Shipalanga revealed that in Khorixas Constituency alone, 83 learners dropped out of school while 36 teenage pregnancies were reported by different high schools.
For two consecutive years, the region remained at the bottom of the national rankings for the Namibia Senior Secondary Certificate Ordinary and Advanced Subsidiary Levels.
Should funding allow, the directorate means to undertake a series of social campaigns to sensitise learners on the dangers and risks associated with the use of harmful substances.
Another matter in need of a solution is the insufficient number of school hostels and the dilapidated state of existing hostel accommodation in the region.
"We also have. Some other challenges that are affecting the quality of education, such as the use of alcohol among learners, are challenges. The challenge is that we don't have sufficient funds to conduct campaigns. If it's possible, if we could get some funds, we are pleading with them to support us so that we can be able to go out to other places to conduct those campaigns."
The EU Ambassador to Namibia, Anna Beatriz Martins, pledged her office's support to efforts to address education challenges in the constituency.
"Your presentation and what you have shared with us and some of the community describing the difficulties you have, the challenges here, the difficulties you are facing in poverty due to lack of water, the long-term effects of climate change, and the big distances and limited funds from the government levels from Windhoek. This is very touching in a way to see what the communities are going through.It's very insightful for us, and we take this back to Windhoek to our desk to see what we can do."
The visiting EU and UNICEF delegations were in the region to assess educational challenges in the region, to train teachers for early childhood development centres, and to explore where they can possibly direct funding and assistance for infrastructure and feeding programmes.