Day: May 13, 2023

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Otjozondjupa rewards best performing schools, teachers and learners

The Otjozondjupa Regional Directorate of Education on Friday recognised 144 teachers, 10 learners and six schools that performed exceptionally well during the 2022 academic year.

The teachers, learners and schools in the region were rewarded for their hard work in Grade 11 and Grade 12 ordinary and higher level exams.

Education Director Josephine Mutenda at the event also rewarded three schools she classified special after they obtained more A* symbols to a C in Grade 11, as well as them obtaining A* symbols to a D symbol in Grade 12.

Most of them earned awards in languages, commerce and technical subjects, followed by those in social science subjects and a handful teachers, schools and learners won in physical science, biology, mathematics and agriculture.

Mutenda rewarded them with trophies, cash ranging between N.dollars 450 and N.dollars 5 000, medals, boxes of printing paper and certificates.

“We are only gathered here for awards, not for blaming anyone, rather we should just motivate them too,” Mutenda said.

Out of the 21 schools with both Grade 11 and Grade 12 in the region, six schools that performed well are Berg-Op Academy, Otjiwarongo Senior Secondary School (SSS), Korab SSS, Edugate Academy, Grootfontein SSS and Karstveld Academy.

Edugate Academy was the overall best performer in both Grade 11 and Grade 12 levels, while Tsumkwe SSS performed the weakest in Otjozondjupa.

Mutenda also rewarded Grootfontein SSS, Donatus SSS, and Otjiwarongo SSS as the government special schools for the regional education directorate due to their consistency in performing well every year.

Otjozondjupa Governor, James Uerikua in a statement which was delivered on his behalf by the Otjozondjupa Chief Regional Officer, Agatha Mweti, said concerted efforts in enhancing quality education for all learners in the region will be celebrated, rewarded and acknowledged each year.

He further urged schools to continue producing more hardworking learners for them to enter university and for the education directorate to also produce more performing schools for the region to have patriotic future leaders.

Otjozondjupa has a total of 90 primary and secondary schools, 1 892 teachers and 56 542 learners in 2023.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

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NDF and BDF conclude Exercise Hanganee II planning phase

The Namibian Defence Force, in partnership with the Botswana Defence Force (BDF), on Friday concluded the planning phase for Exercise Hanganee II.

Addressing the media here, NDF Brigadier General, Fillemon Shafashike, said Exercise Hanganee II is a combined bilateral battalion level military training exercise between the NDF and BDF, based on peace support operations.

“The exercise emanates from the 22nd session of Namibia/Botswana joint permanent commission on defence and security held in Swakopmund in September 2021. It is designed to among others improve interoperability between the two defence forces,” he said .

Shafashike added that Exercise Hanganee II seeks to enhance military-to-military relations and evaluate the effectiveness of the two sister forces’ rapid deployment capability within the broader Southern African Development Community (SADC) peace and security architecture and in the context of stand-by force arrangements.

Exercise Hanganee II will be conducted in Gobabis, Omaheke Region, from 15 June 2023 to 30 June 2023.

Shafashike urged communities residing in the area not to panic as there will be movements of troops and military equipment; and that gunshots and explosives will be heard as the soldiers will be simulating different emergency situations.

“No live ammunition will be used during the exercises and caution will be taken not to cause harm to both the members of the public and the soldiers,” said Shafashike.

Approximately 1000 troops from Namibia and Botswana will temporarily be deployed to several locations in Omaheke Region during this time.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

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Para-Athletes scoop 10 medals on the opening day of Jesolo Grand Prix

Namibian athletes with disabilities won 10 medals on the opening day of the World Para Athletics (WPA) 2023 Jesolo Grand Prix underway in Jesolo, Italy.

The fifth round of the WPA Grand Prix is being held at the Armando Picchi Stadium as Para-athletes celebrate the 10th anniversary of the WPA Grand Prix.

On the opening day of the championship on Friday evening, Namibia’s track and field athletes walked away with 10 medals (five gold, three silver and two bronze) from the 100 metres (m) and 400m events.

The first athlete to win a medal for Team Namibia was T11 female sprinter, Lahja Ishitile, who scooped a gold medal in the 400m sprint with a time of one minute, one second and 17 tenths of a second (01:01.17). Her second gold medal was in the 100m sprint with a time of 12.95 seconds.

Meanwhile, another female sprinter, Lahja Ipinge, who competes in the T12 category, was disqualified in the 400m race, while in the 100m race, she finished fifth with a time of 13.58 seconds. World record holder and Cuban sprinter Omara Elias Durand won the T12 100m race with a time of 12.11 seconds.

In the T11 100m men’s category, Namibian athletes dominated the track after occupying all three podium places. Ananias Shikongo won gold, while Chris Kinda and Alfredo Bernado came second and third respectively.

T13 sprinter, Johannes Nambala, added two more medals to team Namibia’s tally with a gold in the 400m sprint and a silver in the 100m. French sprinter Axel Zorzi took the gold in the 100m with 11.24 seconds while the Namibian was just behind in a photo finish with a time of 11.26 seconds.

The T11 400m category, saw Kinda taking a silver medal with a time of 53.49 seconds, while Shikongo took the bronze with a time of 54.01 seconds. Eduardo Man Novas Uceda of Spain walked away with a gold medal in a time of 53.42 seconds.

Bradley Murere braved the rainy conditions in the 100m sprint. The Namibian sprinter who competes in the T46 category clocked a time of 11.36 seconds to walk away with a gold medal.

Meanwhile, T37 sprinter, Petrus Karuli, had an impressive start to his 400m race but pulled a muscle with 120m to go, which saw him settling for a silver medal. Karuli was disqualified for a false start in the 100m sprint.

Nine athletes and five guides are representing Team Namibia at the championship.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

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South Korea invites Namibia for 2024 Korea-African summit

President Hage Geingob has been invited by South Korean President, Yoon Suk Yeol to attend the 2024 Korea-African Summit, aimed at strengthening ties on the blue economy and maritime issues.

Speaking during a courtesy visit at State House on Friday, Suk Yeol special convoy representative, Park Heong-joon said the visit also aimed to strengthen already existing cooperation and to seek Namibia’s support for South Korea to host the World Expo 2030 in Busan.

He further indicated that South Korea is interested in Namibia’s envisioned green hydrogen sector and tourism industry for investments aimed towards developing and promoting sustainable development for mutual benefit of both nations.

“South Korea and Namibia continue to cross heights since 1990, for years we have enjoyed a longstanding relationship based on rule of law and continue to wish for Namibia’s great success,” he said.

Speaking at the same occasion on behalf of President Hage Geingob, Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said, Namibia’s technology ambitions can be potentially optimised through learning from South Korea’s advanced technological capabilities, especially in the socio-economic area.

“Namibia has massive natural resources but the bulk of our people are living under poverty conditions… So it is a commitment of the government to harness these resources and advance the country by drawing from lessons of other developed countries such as South Korea,” she said

Source: The Namibian Press Agency