Maria David
MINISTER of Higher Education, Technology, and Innovation Itah Kandjii-Murangi said that they are busy rolling out TVET centres in the country, with hopes to add value to their mineral resources.
Kandjii-Murangi made the remarks during the inauguration of the NEV Hub PV/Solar Plant on Friday at Eenhana.
According to Kandjii-Murangi, TVET is the right stream of education as it produces well-trained youth who can create employment for many.
“TVET gives us the tools for the future. TVET is the future. Therefore, gone are the days of simply talking about increased access to training and increased funding and inputs to support that increase,” she said.
She added that their focus should now be on outcomes, effectiveness, and enhanced access in generating more value from the resources available for TVET.
Kandjii-Murangi indicated that the Promotion of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (ProTVET) Project complements their development cooperation in the priority area of sustainable economic development, with key objectives including the provision of support to key elements of the TVET system and the enhancement of overall industry participation.
She added that they remain indebted to their development partners for the enabling support.
“Despite the good and solid support and progress, we must do more – and we must do so with real and renewed urgency because our country has very high aspirations for our TVET sector and its graduates,” she added.
She also indicated that they continue to rely on the ongoing support of their development partners, which is an investment in their most valuable resource – their people.
Within the remits of their long-standing bilateral cooperation, Kandjii-Murangi emphasized that there continues to be significant scope for intensified partnership in the TVET field. She assured that Namibia will continue to explore such opportunities because, at the end of the day, collaboration remains an effective way for governments and nations to meet the huge skills development challenges before them.
Meanwhile, EU Ambassador to Namibia Ana Beatriz Martins indicated that the TVET Centres have come a long way since the start of the project in July 2016, with substantial funding from the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
Martins said that the project is being implemented by GIZ-Namibia through its ProTVET project, with an impressive budget of N$ 175 million.
“This is the last stretch of the project, with the completion of the design, construction/installation of comprehensive Solar Systems/Plants, security setups, and solar lighting for the three Vocational Training Centers (VTCs),” she said.
She added that the goal is to offer specialized centres with diverse training programs that are tailored to meet industry needs, particularly at higher levels on the National Qualifications Framework.
Hence, she said the centres are now equipped to offer higher-level and specialized training courses up to NQF level 5, while also engaging stakeholders, capacitating TVET trainers and managers, and introducing innovative technologies in training. All this is aligned with Namibia’s Vision 2030, NPD 5, and the Harambee Prosperity Plans.
