The Groendraai Primary School in the Hardap Region has received four new classrooms and a storeroom from Mobile Telecommunications Limited (MTC) as part of its Rural School's Project.

The new structure is worth N.dollars 1 260 000 million.

Faustina Caley, Deputy Minister of Education, Arts, and Culture, stated at the handover that Vision 2030’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) along with all the efforts made by the government at the local, regional and international levels, in terms of education, cannot be achieved in isolation.

She stated that this vision necessitates ongoing collaboration and partnership.

“Since independence, the Namibian government has prioritized education as the most important investment in poverty reduction, economic growth, and closing the gap between rich and poor,” she said.

She stated that it is for this reason that the education ministry continues to receive the highest national budget allocation each fiscal year in order to primarily ensure that every Namibian child's right to education is enhanced and protected as enriched in Namibia's constitution.

MTC Chief Human Capital & Corporate Affairs Officer, Tim Ekandjo, stated that MTC has decided to accelerate the project this year by taking on three regions, including Hardap, Ohangwena and Zambezi, and meeting the demand of one school in each.

He stated that the project has so far completed 35 classrooms across the country.

Ekandjo urged all corporate entities to join forces with MTC to ensure that every section of the country across the spectrum has structures in place to create a conducive environment for every Namibian child.

“We can no longer afford or accept that our children, our future leaders, must be educated under trees. It is our responsibility as Namibians to protect them so that the country is in good hands for future generations,” he said.

The school’s Principal, Charlton Rickets, stated that the school was founded in 1952 and that it has undergone many changes over the years, but that the addition of new classrooms is by far the most significant.

He stated that the school currently has 252 students in grades one through seven.

“We want to thank MTC for realizing our vision,” he said.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency