The Deputy Minister of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sport, Arts, and Culture, Dino Ballotti, recently visited Kavango West, where he was briefed on the pressing challenges facing the region's education sector.
The Director of Education in the region, Pontianus Musore, presented key challenges and progress made within the directorate.
Musore outlined issues ranging from inadequate office space to the lack of proper classrooms.
He revealed that, out of 185 schools in the region, 29 still operate from makeshift structures.
"We have twenty-nine schools that have no structures. Even I, as a director, go to visit that school, and when you arrive at the school, you cannot see the school. You are still asking, 'Where is the school?' That is when you are told, 'You are at the school, sir.'"
He also requested that the ministry construct an office building for the directorate.
"The director and the other team are somewhere else, and the human resources officials are also somewhere else, so we are in different venues. The town council has done well; they allocated a plot for us for free. We will also pass by there. What we are appealing to the ministry is to assist us in having this office constructed. We are spending a lot."
The Deputy Director of Planning and Development, Karl Kangondo, expressed appreciation for the funds allocated to a new Learning and Community Development Centre.
"We do appreciate the plot assigned on that side to cater for our multipurpose youth centre, because after those years, we can see that project has been on EMPTV. Even now, when you are busy motivating this budget under your ministerial vote, it is clearly indicated that there is really an allocation. What we really require is speed to expedite the construction of the facility because the youth are eager to use it."
Deputy Minister Ballotti acknowledged the seriousness of the infrastructure deficit in the region.
"This region has too many schools—29 schools with no structures is too many. It is not going to continue, I can tell you. However, it is that same school that finishes first in 2023 and first in 2024. With those challenges, there is a beauty in the struggle. I am not saying you must struggle forever; what I am saying is there is a beauty in the struggle. I am not the Deputy Minister of heaven and earth; we are not saviors of everything, but the mandate we have, we will be serious about it—enhancing education, doing more for youth, doing more for sport, and being serious about innovation and CCI."
The Deputy Minister also expressed satisfaction with the learner-teacher ratio and praised private companies for contributing to education infrastructure as part of their social responsibility efforts.