Maria David
THE renaming ceremony of Omugwelume Secondary School took place without the attendance of the Minister of Education, Arts, and Culture, Anna Nghipondoka, and her Executive Director, Sanet Steenkamp. This caused many to question if the Ministry was unsupportive of Nghaamwa’s contributions to the school’s development.
Nghaamwa, who had been unable to finish his own education, had dedicated his life to investing in education. Despite their absence, Steenkamp expressed her admiration for Nghaamwa’s efforts. The school was renamed UN Nghaamwa Secondary School in honor of the former governor of Ohangwena Region, with parents deciding to honour Nghaamwa for his contributions.
He had donated goods to the school worth over N$1,429,845.94 since 2017. During the renaming ceremony, parents pledged nearly N$400,000 towards ongoing school projects, including the completion of a dining hall and the acquisition of a school bus. Steenkamp praised Nghaamwa for being one of the few businesspeople who view education as an investment rather than an expense.
She emphasized that the school’s renaming was necessary to avoid having two schools named after the same person or institution in the region, as Nghaamwa had already been honoured by having a school for the deaf named after him.
