Windhoek: China’s Ambassador to Namibia, Zhao Weiping, officially handed over classrooms and hostel blocks at two schools in the region to the Minister of Education, Arts and Culture, Anna Nghipondoka on Tuesday. The facilities were inaugurated at the Liselo and Masokotwani combined schools as part of a donation by the Chinese Government aimed at uplifting selected rural schools in Namibia.

According to Namibia Press Agency, the donation includes 18 classrooms, hostel blocks for boys and girls with a capacity of 336 boarders at each school, dining halls, kitchens, multi-purpose halls, administration blocks, libraries, and sports facilities. Officially receiving and unveiling the new facilities, Nghipondoka acknowledged the efforts of the Chinese Government in education and other sectors of the economy.

She urged beneficiaries in the two communities to take care of the new facilities and safeguard them against vandalism, noting that education infrastructure remains one of the key challenges her ministry curr
ently faces. She highlighted her ministerial plan, the Accelerated Infrastructure Development Plan (AIDeP), as a testament to this commitment, identifying the immediate infrastructure needs required to maintain low-learner teacher ratios, reduce travel distances, and address the needs for hostels, wash facilities, and IT infrastructure.

The AIDeP has been integrated into the 2022 National Conference on Educational Implementation Plan, guiding ministerial efforts from 2023 until 2030. The new developments, according to Nghipondoka, will contribute to the prosperity of the education system. She also called upon other nations and stakeholders to join her ministerial endeavors, emphasizing that education is a collective responsibility. ‘Together we can ensure that every Namibian child has access to quality, inclusive, and equitable education,’ she said.