Building additional classrooms to cater to the ever-increasing demand for schools is one of the pressing priorities for the Ministry of Education, Arts, and Culture.

The Deputy Executive Director of the ministry, Edda Bohn, has revealed that the ministry has spent over N$155 million to construct 534 additional classrooms, 74 ablution facilities, and over 700 posts.

For now, school gates are still closed, but when the bells ring next week, it might be a different scene.

As the 2024 academic year approaches, the Director of Programmes and Quality Assurance at the Ministry of Education, Arts, and Culture, Ayesha Wentworth, is urging parents to talk to their children about the dangers of using harmful substances.

Drugs can reduce a child's ability to learn, cause them to even drop out of school, and disrupt their lives and those around them.

Wentworth says children should expect harsh consequences if found with drugs on the school grounds, whether through disciplinary procedures or even face suspension.

The Ministry of Education, Arts, and Culture made the important announcement that the eagerly awaited Namibia Senior Secondary Certificate Ordinary (NSSCO) and the Advanced Subsidiary Levels (AS) examination results will be released by latest January 12, 2024.

This update comes directly from the Executive Director of the ministry, Sanet Steenkamp, who shared this information on nbc's breakfast show, Good Morning Namibia.

The Minister of Education, Arts, and Culture has called for a demand-driven education system.

Anna Nghipondoka says that it is high time that Namibia moves away from importing a skilled workforce.

Nghipondoka made the remarks at the launch of the IMN Technology Mentorship Institute, which aims to assist the public education sector in preparing and training competent and technologically advanced individuals who are ready to develop a competitive economy for Namibia.

The National Archives of Namibia (NAN) and the Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Germany, have jointly organised a two-day workshop on the preservation, conservation of records, and restoration practices.

The workshop brought together archivists and professionals from both countries to share expertise and knowledge in the crucial field of preserving historical records.

The two countries are hoping to strengthen the preservation and conservation efforts of historical documents in Namibia and foster international cooperation.

The Minister of Education, Arts, and Culture, Anna Nghipondoka, has presented the provisions, systems, and processes designed to provide sanitary materials to underprivileged schoolgirls across schools in Namibia.

Nghipondoka pointed out that the Basic Education Act of 2020 contains explicit provisions for giving sanitary materials to girls in schools.

Graduation is not an end in itself, but a new beginning in self-challenge.

This was the message at the Namibian College of Open Learning's (NAMCOL) graduation ceremony, where 330 students reaped the fruits of their hard work.

Students received certificates, diplomas, and degrees in sign language interpretation, local government studies, early childhood development studies, pre-primary education, and entrepreneurship.

The Ministry of Education, Arts, and Culture, in collaboration with the National Library and Archives, has established a platform for 74 Namibian writers aimed at nurturing a culture of writing and reading within the country.

The two entities launched the National Literary Festival to celebrate Namibian literature, stories, creativity, and the culture of reading.

The festival's purpose is to promote authors' books and foster a love of literature and writing.

The high influx of people in the coastal towns of Swakopmund and Walvis Bay has put pressure on schools there despite the construction of additional classrooms and projects.

In his State of the Region Address, the Governor of the Erongo Region, Neville Andre, said during the period under review, the Directorate of Education, Art, and Culture has recorded an increase in learner enrollments from 51,942 last year to 53,538 this year.

This represents an increase of 1,596 learners.

The dispute over the construction of Ndama South School at Rundu is finally over.

The contractor is now on site and has started with the first phase of construction.

Kavango East Governor Bonifatius Wakudumo acknowledged that the community was not a party to the dispute but that it was rather due to an error by the Ministry of Education, Art, and Culture, which handed over the site to the contractor without the consent of the Council.

The Ndama South School is expected to decongest the junior and combined schools, which are presently accommodated on one premise.