One textbook per learner
Dwarfed by almost a million textbooks, the CEO of the Millenium Challenge Account (MCA) Namibia, Ms Penny Akwenye (right) is joined by the Minister of Education, Hon Dr David Namwandi earlier this week when the MCA presented the ministry with textbooks for this year.
Education Minister Dr David Namwandi said earlier this week that his ministry is committed to achieving a 1:1 textbook/learner ratio as this will make a difference through independent reading opportunities and access to information.
The minister said this when he handed over 1.7 million textbooks to 2 900 schools on Monday. The books, bought at a cost of N$71 million, forms part of a three-year US$145 million project funded by the Millennium Challenge Account Namibia (MCA-Namibia).
The ministry said it has recorded some success in reducing the number of learners sharing a textbook, moving away from a ratio of three learners per textbook to the current ratio of two learners per textbook. The ministry added that in some instances learners were no longer sharing textbooks.
Namwandi thanked MCA-Namibia for their support saying without the generous gesture, educational support would not have been possible.
The acquisition of textbooks has been divided in three phases. The first phase was implemented from March 05, 2010, where 695 164 textbooks, learning and support materials were procured and delivered to 1,195 schools and 97 educational institutions across the country. The second phase was implemented during the textbook policy reform process that started in 2012 with delivery taking place in February/March 2013. The third and last phase of delivery was launched by the minister earlier in the week. This delivery includes 1,702,627 textbooks to the value of N$71 million and will be distributed to 2,899 schools.
Viewing the textbooks with Education Minister, Dr. David Namwandi, at a warehouse in the capital, MCA-N CEO, Ms. Penny Akwenye said, “The objective of our textbook activity is to improve access to and distribution of textbooks, thereby contributing significantly to the quality and relevance of our education system.”
