The FirstRand Namibia Foundation on Tuesday handed over N.dollars 2.8 million to the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture as an investment towards education.
At the handing-over ceremony in Windhoek, FirstRand Namibia Foundation Chairperson, Clara Bohitile, said the Namibian Government has made tremendous progress in getting children into classrooms and the majority of children countrywide now have access to free primary and secondary education.
“But nevertheless, the education sector still faces challenges when it comes to the provision of adequate resources due to the inaccessibility of sufficient funds,” she said.
Bohitile stated that the foundation has continued to increase its commitment towards youth empowerment through education by availing funds and support to numerous government schools, early childhood development (ECD) programmes and other education initiatives to make a substantial difference in communities.
The foundation for the past six months also invested N.dollars 2.7 million in education initiatives across the 14 regions of Namibia.
Receiving the donation, Deputy Minister of Education, Arts and Culture, Faustina Caley, said there are rural and extremely remote schools, where the delivery of quality education is impeded by challenges such as lack of infrastructure and connectivity.
“Given this reality, many of our learners do not receive equitable quality education as contained in Goal Four of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations post-2015 Education Agenda,” she said.
She added that FirstRand Namibia’s investment will go a long way towards the education and holistic development of the Namibian child.
Also in attendance was First Lady, Monica Geingos, who said education is too important to be left to the government alone and more investment is needed to develop ECD programmes, because that is where a child’s educational foundation starts.
“Investment is important at the bottom. That’s where a strong foundation is laid. Parents must invest in their children’s education,” said Geingos.
Source: Namibian Press News Agency