Over 90% of govt schools without functional libraries

Of Namibia&#039;s 1 725 government schools, only 164 have school libraries - a total of 9.5%.This was revealed at an advocacy event held on Wednesday by the Namibia Libraries and Archive Services (NLAS).NLAS director Sarah Negumbo said the definition of a ‘library facility’ is incredibly loose as, at some schools, it refers to a cupboard of books in a classroom. True, purpose-built libraries are only accessible to 58 schools, while regions such as Erongo, Hardap, Karas and Kunene do not have a single functional school library, according to statistics. At the event, hosted under the theme ‘Enhancing learner performance through utilisation of school libraries in Namibia’, another issue brought up was the lack of qualified librarians staffing the few libraries that do exist. Only 47 professional librarians are employed throughout the country in the libraries of government schools. Negumbo stressed that this is not due to a lack of qualified persons, as there are programmes and training courses available at institutions such as the University of Namibia. The problem, she said, is a lack of funding from the education ministry.‘Massive’ funding gap“Africa doesn’t value knowledge. Policymakers do not value knowledge – that is why libraries aren’t a priority for your ministry,” former prime minister Nahas Angula told the NLAS director. While Negumbo has not put a number to how much funding they receive, she said there is a “massive gap”.According to her, the funding NLAS receives is “insufficient to carry out its projects and activities”. As such, the organisation relies on donations from private companies and partnerships with institutions such as Goethe-Institut Namibia to provide the youth with resources for learning, she said. Negumbo urged stakeholders to offer their time to assist with library programmes and events, and welcomed donations of books and library resources. Additionally, she said advocacy for the importance of school libraries among community members and local government officials is crucial.

Over 90% of govt schools without functional libraries

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Namibian Sun 2025-03-12

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Over 90% of govt schools without functional libraries

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Namibian Sun 2025-03-12

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