The Swakopmund Municipality, through the Mayoral Development Fund, has donated N$200,000 to all schools in Swakopmund.

Mayor Dina Namubes believes education is an important tool to eradicate poverty.

The donation was handed over at a ceremony attended by all the beneficiary schools.

Swakopmund has 20 public and private schools.

Over the year, the Mayoral Fund donated N$1,000 to each of the schools, which is to become an annual contribution to the awarding of the best performers.

Namubes urged school principals to use the money for additional learning aids.

"The Council realised that the schools in Swakopmund, especially the government schools, struggle with basic items such as printing paper, text books, and equipment that could aid them in providing a conducive learning environment for their learners. This follows the decision to end the school development fund some years ago. As we all know, most of our community members still live in destitute homes, and children come from these homes to go to school. Some do not have decent meals at home; however, they must worry about their stationery and their examinations as well. This is indeed saddening, as the office of the mayor also deals with these inquiries on a daily basis."

The Education Director for Erongo, Enfriede Stephanus, thanked the municipality for supporting the education sector.

"On behalf of the Ministry of Education, Arts, and Culture and in particular the Directorate of Education, Arts, and Culture of the Erongo Region, we want to thank you wholeheartedly, we are grateful, and we celebrate today for the 200 000 dollars that we received for 20 schools in Swakopmund."

All schools will be required to submit a quotation worth the amount of the items purchased, and the council will pay the amount to the service provider.