Forty-six lower primary school teachers from 22 schools in the ||Kharas Region graduated from the Knowhow Course as part of the School Readiness Initiative.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony at Keetmanshoop, ||Kharas Education Director Nicolaas Eiman said programmes such as this continue to strengthen the foundations of the education system.

 The School Readiness Course comprises ten modules, completed through a combination of self-study, peer-to-peer support sessions and collaborative learning group sessions involving Grade 1 and pre-primary teachers.

Nicolaas Eiman, the Regional Education Director for||Kharas, said, "This innovation allows teachers to track and evaluate learners' progress more effectively and consistently; beyond that, it has provided practical learning support tools and strategies to help learners who face difficulties, ensuring that no child is left behind."

The initiative is a collaborative partnership between the Church Alliance for Orphans (CAFO), the Ministry of Education and Swiss tennis player and philanthropist Roger Federer's foundation.

"Our donor is Roger Federer, and he is our backbone. He is the one who sources the funds and the products, like the tablets and the software. It comes directly from Switzerland, and then we fund the different organisations like CAFO, Lifeline and WAD. We are then given an amount of donations per year because the program has run for seven years. Now it is extended for another year, so it will end in 2026," said CAFO Director Jacky Hoff.

The School Readiness Initiative has been implemented in schools and ECD centres across all 14 regions of the country.