RUNDU: Vice President (VP) Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said institutions of higher learning in the country including the entire education system should understand the needs of the labour market.

Nandi-Ndaitwah when she delivered her keynote address during the 2024 University of Namibia Rundu Campus graduation ceremony here on Tuesday said that students should be trained to meet the needs of the market.

‘It is a challenge when the education sector and the market are not talking to each other. Institutions of higher learning should not train for the streets,’ she said.

The VP said Namibia is now positioned to become one of the centres of renewable energy, oil and gas.

‘The question now is, to what extent is our education and training system prepared to supply those emerging industries with human power,’ she asked.

The education sector must be ready to feed the market with appropriate skills, hence the importance of vocational training that should be seen as a critical sector for sustainable development to be re
alised.

Nandi-Ndaitwah added that Namibia should not be a rich country with poor people.

‘We must be prepared to work together as Namibians as it is the only way we can create the Namibia we want,’ she noted.

She said it is important that the country prepares itself to benefit from its resources while it continues to be relevant in the international arena.

About 654 students graduated in different disciplines such as Education, Nursing and Public Health and Business Administration.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency