Communications regulator donates sanitary essentials to help girls stay in school
The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) recently donated sanitary essentials worth approximately N$66,000 to the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture.
The donation of reusable and disposable sanitary essentials is set to benefit and assist approximately 770 school girls to stay in school during the 2021 academic year.
Through CRAN’s corporate social investment project, girls from the following schools are set to benefit: Ondao Mobile Primary School in Okapembambu Unit, Kunene Region; Ndoro Memorial Secondary School in Simbanda Circuit, Zambezi Region; Kaisosi Primary School near Rundu, Kavango East Region; and Hanganeni Primary School in Swakopmund, Erongo Region.
The handover which took place on Monday 8 March also coincided with the celebration of International Women’s Day, which is in line with CRAN’s objective of ensuring that girls are empowered to become the future leaders.
Speaking at the handover event today, CRAN’s Chief Executive Officer, Emilia Nghikembua, said “our strategic intent which is guided by our mandate, enables us to ensure that the Authority regulates the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry for the benefit of all Namibians, inclusive of our Namibian girl child.”
“This means that the Authority through our regulatory framework is striving to shape a socio- economic environment for ICT users through building capacity in our industry. This capacity building takes place through ensuring access to affordable and quality ICT products and services for all which further ensures that all Namibian children should have access to ICT products and services, and this can only be achieved if no Namibian child is left behind,” added Nghikembua.
As the Authority observes and remains abreast with emerging trends in the ICT sector, CRAN took note of the recent publication of the plight of the Namibian girl children who were unable to attend school due to the lack of sanitary essentials. For this reason, and with the limited available sources, the Authority approached its employees to assist with donations towards keeping a Namibian girl child in school.
Deputy Minister of Education, Arts and Culture, Faustina Caley, delivered the keynote address on behalf of the Minister of Education, Arts and Culture, Anna Nghipondoka, said “as we celebrate International Women’s Day today, we at the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture are extremely honoured to receive this generous donation (on behalf of our Namibian girl child), as we strive towards a gender equal world”.
Caley added that gender equality in the schools’ systems remains a key priority for the Government of the Republic of Namibia, in as far as placement of the Namibian girl child, placement and hiring of educators inclusive of, and not limited to, the teaching and administrative staff members.
“We can only achieve gender equality if we have a system that enables our Namibian girl child to remain in school and receive education which is a fundamental right. Thus enabling our Namibian girls to learn, grow and develop our economy, through full participation in various sectors such as the ICT sector as is regulated by CRAN, said Caley.
The Minister further stated that the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture’s constitutional obligation to ensure that all children have access to education and no child should be left out, in especially girl children.
