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Nawa 8 |
Dec 11 2001 |
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EDDI EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY LINKS NAMIBIA WITH GLOBAL COMMUNITY
 The Education for Development and Democracy Initiative (EDDI) commenced in March 1998 to bring Africa into the global community of free-market democracies through activities that improve the quality of and technology for education. In Namibia, EDDI supports programs that promote entrepreneurship, provide girls’ scholarships, and address the education and social needs of orphans and vulnerable children.
In this edition, NAWA highlights two EDDI programs: |
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The EDDI School Partnership Program
 The School Partnership Program commenced in May 2000. This year, nine Namibian teachers from three Okahandja schools traveled to three partner schools in Seattle. The teachers experienced first-hand how rural schools can involve students in entrepreneurial activities at all levels. The schools are now investigating products that can be made for export to partner schools in the other country. The students have been in regular email contact, sharing advice about proposed product lines and passing on business tips. Building a culture of entrepreneurship is critical to helping Namibia overcome the legacy of apartheid, a system that discouraged non-white business development.
The U.S. schools were selected by the USAID grantee, Echo Group Inc., and were matched to the three Okahandja schools identified by the Namibia Institute for Educational Development. Under the grant, the Namibian schools were equipped with three computers each, complete with Internet, and a website was established for the project [www.fidea.org]. As well as entrepreneurship, the program promotes Namibian public school fund raising and teacher training through a non-profit organization created with the assistance of Echo Group members, the International Development and Education Advancement (IDEA) Foundation. |
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The Mobile Training Unit
 In a large country like Namibia, where citizens often have neither the time nor the resources to travel to the capital, and where communications infrastructure ranks among the most sophisticated in Africa, the internet offers a tremendous opportunity for increasing citizen participation in political discourse. Recognizing this opportunity, the Namibian Parliament inaugurated an interactive website in May of 2001 [www.parliament.gov.na]. Two months later, the web site, which was built with assistance from the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) under a grant from USAID, grabbed first prize at an international E-Governance conference in Stockholm, Sweden.
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The challenge now is to ensure that Namibia’s citizens have knowledge of and access to the website. To help meet that challenge, EDDI provided the Parliament and NDI with funds for a mobile training unit (MTU). EDDI’s financial contribution was matched with in-kind contributions by the Namibian vendors of Compaq and Microsoft, and by two other Namibian companies, The Information Technology Department and Radiator Services.
The MTU, a bus outfitted with 11 computers, will travel to each of Namibia’s thirteen regions. It will demonstrate the Parliamentary website and a new website erected by the Ministry of Regional and Local Government and Housing [www.mrlgh.gov.na], to representatives of non-governmental organizations and to officials at the regional and local level. In the process, the MTU will promote the possibilities that modern communication technologies offer to deepening democracy and strengthening good governance. |
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ADVANCED DEGREES AWARDED TO MINISTRY OF EDUCATION OFFICIALS
 In a ceremony held on November 10, USAID/Namibia`s Professional Enhancement Program (PEP) celebrated the graduation of ten master’s degree students and one Ph.D. student, all staff of the Ministry of Basic Education, Culture and Sport (M/BESC). The students earned their degrees under an innovative, in-service, work-study program offered by a partnership that joins the University of Namibia, the University of Western Cape (in South Africa), the University of Montana, and Harvard University.
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During their studies, the PEP students undertook research on topics identified by the MBESC as priority areas in promoting educational reform in Namibia. But they didn’t stop there. To facilitate the review of their research, to promote continued research within the education sector, and to sustain the dialogue on challenges facing education in Namibia, the students have formed the Namibia Education Research Association, and begun to publish an education journal.
Speaking on behalf of M/BESC Minister, John Mutorwa, the Deputy Permanent Secretary of MBESC, Stanley Simataa, said that the study program has "increased access for participants to international resources"that will enable the Ministry "to find solutions for problems in education."In his contribution, University of Namibia’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Peter Katjavivi stated that the graduates "have now joined those that are making Namibia a nation of life-long learners."Other speakers included the former Dean of Education at the University of Western Cape, Professor H. Herman; Vice President of Research at the University of Montana, Lloyd Chestnut; and USAID Director, Diana Swain.
The remaining twenty participants in the program will graduate in early 2002 when PEP is expected to end. |
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