WINDHOEK: The Deputy Minister of Safety and Security Erastus Uutoni has encouraged members of the Namibian Police Force (NamPol) to enroll at institutions of higher learning in order to improve their level of education.
Uutoni, who was addressing NamPol members at the handing-over of certificates to 21 police officers who have completed the Cuban literacy programme called ‘Yes I Can’ in the capital on Friday, said a police officer’s career is very demanding and changes all the time, hence members should “upgrade themselves”.
This, he said, will also enable his ministry to achieve the objectives of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Education for All campaign, which amongst other things strive for 100 per cent improvement in levels of adult literacy by the year 2015.
He added that it is therefore imperative for the members to enroll at the Polytechnic of Namibia, the University of Namibia (Unam) and the International University of Management (IUM) to improve their skills.
“We have asked the Polytechnic to include some of our members in the curriculum advisory committee and to also come up with courses that will include our colleagues in the regions,” he stressed.
He noted that NamPol members need to be “transformed” in order to be effective in their duties, adding that they need the skills and knowledge to read instructions, keep records, take statements and be up-dated with globalisation and Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
The aim of his ministry, he noted, is to eradicate illiteracy in the police force’s ranks as literacy is more than the ability to read, write and numeracy operations and comprises a wider range of skills and knowledge needed by individuals to function effectively in a given societ.
The ‘Yes I Can’ programme contributes to the reduction and ultimately, the eradication of illiteracy rate amongst youths and adults and provides a framework for advanced studies, further educational advancements and employment.
According to the programme’s supervisor Luisa Maria Vazquez Perez, it has been implemented in about 30 countries from the Caribbean, Europe, Asia and Latin America to Africa and Oceania to assist in reducing illiteracy rates.
In Africa, the programme has been implemented in Angola, Cape Verde, Tanzania, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Equatorial, East Timor and Nigeria.
The programme was implemented in Okuryangava, Hakahana, Khomasdal North, Windhoek rural and Windhoek city, with 193 learners that have graduated and 18 promoters trained through the literacy programme.
It ran from 10 to 21 September 2012.