Minister of education, innovation, youth, sport, arts and culture Sanet Steenkamp says she will use the N$24.8-billion budget allocated to her ministry to improve the country’s education system.
She will address key issues, including the lack of classrooms and teachers, she says.
Steenkamp’s ministry will also oversee critical sectors shaping Namibia’s future, with a total of N$76.1 billion earmarked over the medium-term expenditure framework.
“Firstly, as a minister and a deputy minister, you must understand what your mandate entails. We have functionaries or entities.
“There are also guiding documents and policies. You have your National Development Plan 6 (NDP6), you have your strategic plans for each entity that were crafted already, and then you’ve got Swapo’s manifesto implementation plan. Four of the seven key priority areas fall under our ministry,” she says.
Steenkamp says the ministry will focus on forming one integrated business and strategic plan for the next six years, which is aligned to the NDP6.
“We are not necessarily new to certain mandates, but we have structures in place. We’ve got executive management in place who meet on a regular basis. We have briefing sessions, and we have scheduled meetings on a technical level that run throughout the week.
“We have to make sure we don’t necessarily need time to settle in. You need time to understand your mandate and then commit with your team to carry out that mandate and have a high-performance culture in the ministry,” she says.
The new minister says she has a strong team of experts to meet the ministry’s goals.
“Our transition starts off with the directorate of planning, director general services, directorate of human resources, and finances. So, already, we are bringing the teams together. That has started on a technical level,” she says.
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