Rundu—Teachers in Kavango East are calling for greater inclusion in the wellness programs funded by the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture, expressing frustration over their exclusion from initiatives that benefit other government staff.
According to Namibia Press Agency, the discontent was voiced by the Namibia National Teachers Union (Nantu) regional chairperson Petrus Kashumali during the official launch of the sixth edition of the Sanlam Annual Teachers Tournament in Rundu. The tournament, scheduled from September 18 to 22, 2024, features sports like football, netball, and volleyball. Kashumali highlighted the disparity in wellness program accessibility, noting, “I am one of the teachers who has not been happy over the past years because the Ministry of Education has a wellness program from which teachers are excluded. The program only includes administrators and inspectors.”
Kashumali compared the situation to other sectors where employees benefit from employer-funded sports tournaments, including the police, army, regional councils, local authorities, and the Correctional Service. He urged the ministry to consider teachers in future wellness activity planning, emphasizing the feeling of exclusion. “It makes me question whether teachers only belong to Nantu and not the ministry. This thing of the ministry leaving us out as if we are stepchildren should end,” he stated.
Adding to the conversation, Vaino Peter, the ministry’s acting inspector in the Rundu circuit, expressed disappointment that local companies, such as banks, do not sponsor teacher activities despite teachers being among their largest groups of loan applicants.
In response, Christine Shilima, the Director of Education in the region, acknowledged the importance of wellness in the ministry’s strategic plan but declined to comment on the specific funding issues. “I will not comment on why we could not provide funding as we have done with staff members under the unified structure. I’ll leave my comment for when we meet with Nantu at national level,” Shilima said.