SOEs unwilling to support Nanso

THE Namibia National Students’ Organisation (Nanso) has expressed concern over the lack of support for the organisation by educational institutions and State-Owned Enter- prises (SOEs).

“Institutions of education and SOEs are not willing to support the initiatives we bring to them,” said Nanso president Timotheus Angala during the signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding between the students’ organisation and Namibia Careers’ Expo (NCE) in Windhoek on Friday.

The two organisations will strategically cooperate to bridge the gap between learners and the labour market.Angalafumedthat educational institutions and SOEs are not willing to support Nanso financially or materially.

“Some of our activities are complementing their work, but it is only when they hear that students/ trainees are striking that they start reacting,” he stressed. Angala stated that those institutions have big budgetsforforeignconsult- ants to develop their action plans, but they do not have money to support initiatives by Nanso and the NCE.

“If the leadership in these institutions see that your idea is good they will want to make it theirs, then they develop a department for it or they put it on tender and give it to their buddies,” he said.

NCE chairperson Jason Kasuto said a large proportion of young Namibians are unemployed, and the supply of skills is unlikely to meet the demand in all major occupations, espe- cially the vocational sector.

This, he said, is despite the notable policy interventions and hard work by the government and Ministry of Education in the area of educational reform.

“With a total learner population of above 200 000, the synergy between Nanso and the NCE is an undeniable advantage in our efforts to reach all learners across Namibia, mentor them, link them to the labour and training sector and shape them to be active value-adding participants in the growth of the Namibian economy,” he said. – Nampa