Mobile Telecommunications Limited (MTC) and the MVA Fund have handed over four classrooms and one storeroom constructed at a cost of N$1.2 million to Kahunikwa Primary School in the Zambezi Region.
The completion of the classroom blocks and handover took place after the listed telco, in February, set aside N$3.2 million to construct classrooms at Kahunikwa Primary School, Onduludiya Combined School, and Groendraai Primary School through its maiden Corporate Social Investment (CSI) initiative – the MTC Rural School Project.
Launched in 2019, the initiative aims to assist the Government in improving educational infrastructure, such as dilapidated schools lacking decent structures or having none, by renovating and, in most cases, erecting new classroom blocks mainly for schools in rural Namibia.
Since its launch, the project has thus far built classrooms in Otjozondjupa, Kavango West, !Karas, Oshana, Kunene Region, with Hardap and Zambezi being the latest regions to benefit through the Kahunikwa Primary School.
In August, MTC will hand over classrooms at schools in Ohangwena (Ondulundiya Combined School), bringing the tally to 41 classrooms constructed through the project thus far.
“We [MTC] cannot just be an entity that declares millions in dividends but does not share that profit with the same people who make the company profitable. It is for this reason that MTC listed, so that the ordinary Namibian can share in its success. We believe in creating a legacy when we invest in communities, hence the deliberate approach to change the lives of not only these learners but the community at large,” said MTC Manager for Corporate Affairs, Sponsorship, and Promotion, John Ekongo.
MVA Fund Chief Operating Officer, Philip Nghifitikeko, said the Fund has long enjoyed partnerships with MTC in the reduction of accidents and that it was befitting to join MTC in the construction of classrooms in rural schools.
“This stance allows the Fund to foster strategic partnerships and projects that have a lasting and sustainable impact on the lives of Namibians. A strong education system attracts professionals, businesses, and investment, and contributes to the community’s economic development,” said Nghifitikeko.
Minister of Education, Arts, and Culture, Anna Nghipondoka, in a speech read on her behalf by Zambezi Governor Lawrence Sampofu, said the Ministry is hugely challenged with a backlog of many classrooms, brought about by the fact that the annual learner population growth over the years has not been commensurate with budgetary allocations.
“Education is a shared responsibility, and the Ministry needs more ‘Friends of Education’ such as MTC, MVA Fund, and many others, to come on board and join us on this seemingly difficult but exciting journey of knowledge and skills development of our learners, who are the architects of our country’s economic emancipation,” said the minister.
She revealed that the Ministry is currently busy constructing 510 classrooms and 70 ablution blocks across the country.
The Minister has previously noted that the Ministry needs a cumulative N$1.8 billion to clear the backlog in classes, and this translates to constructing 5,169 classrooms across the country to accommodate both primary and secondary pupils in remote areas.
