User talk:Nicky Mutenda

'''Understanding Student activism can Change the World '''

I have been recently criticized by some several people in society as well as by my financial and academic benefactors and also been praised by scholars and many senior persons in society for my out spookiness on current affairs prevailing in our country. Some of the critics feel it’s not my place as a student nor is in line with the support they are offering me; they feel I am motivated by party politics and political agendas. I therefore wish to extend a hand in making these people understand what student activism is and what are the benefits involved in this activity.

As a member of the highest institution of higher learning in Namibia- UNAM, I am equipped to become an independent minded, society conscious and innovate professional that can identify, manage and solve challenges facing our nation- as students we have a national responsibility to inform, educate and debate on various national issues- my UNAM colleagues Job S. Amupanda and Wise F. Immanuel and many other UNAM students have intellectually contributed to current affairs in the country.

Student activism is work done by students to effect political, environmental, economic, or social change. It often focuses on making changes in schools and universities, such as increasing student influence over curriculum or improving educational funding. In some settings, student groups have had a major role in broader political events. Student activism is not merely political as most people do not believe nor is it motivated merely by party politics and political agendas rather it covers a wide range of intellectual debate. Today’s Student activists appear ready to challenge the existing systems and to assault the institutionalized roadblocks to substantive change.

History of student Activism

Did you know that it was students who conceived the idea to have their university support sanctions on South Africa to end apartheid by divesting from companies within South Africa and convinced the University administration to become the first university in the nation to do so in 1978? At home, students contributed to achievement of our independence during the Namibian liberation struggle. In the United States, student activism is often understood as a form of youth activism that is specifically oriented toward change in the American educational system. Student activism in the United States dates to the beginning of public education, if not before. The best early historical documentation comes from the 1930s. The American Youth Congress was a student-led organization in Washington, DC, which lobbied the US Congress against racial discrimination and for youth programs. It was heavily supported by then First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.

All these points to the importance of student activism, to effect political, environmental, economic, or social change for the betterment of society, student activism has an impact that goes beyond the students and the university. University students are considered to be members of a privileged sector of society. Student activists are often portrayed as spoiled rich kids who are just rebelling against authority. It is also often said that their activism reflects a liberal sense of guilt about their privileged social status, and that they are just making empty gestures aimed at clearing their own consciences, rather than truly attempting to reform the hierarchical society that granted them their favoured position.

The Way forward

I want to thank the University of Namibia for welcoming student empowerment by allowing for a certain degree of student governance and democracy on campus in order to produce quality products that will tomorrow be able to identify, manage and solve challenges facing Namibia, I hope the Polytechnic of Namibia and other institutions will follow suit. My mission as a student activist is to transform academic institutions by mobilizing engaged and empowered students. Secondly, to transform society by taking on some of the most challenging social problems and connecting resources across a variety of edges to come up with innovative and high-impact solutions. From my perspective, tackling difficult social problems like environmental pollution, inadequate health care, and sustainable development will be much more successful if the energy and creativity of engaged students can be unleashed. I therefore wish encourage students from all walks of life to come out, speak out- educate and debate on institutional and national issues such as more funding for tutorials, better curriculum at institutional level and unemployment, lack of skills among the youth, inadequate health care, sustainable development, democracy, corruption and much more at national level. As the student anti-apartheid activists have frequently encouraged each other - Aluta Continua! Or The Struggle Continues!

'''Nicky Mutenda

Student activist'''


 * is a Bachelor of Commerce student at the university of Namibia, Vice President of the    Students’ Representatives Council of the University of Namibia and an active Member of NANSO

The Caprivi 2009: Building a strong regional economy
'''The Caprivi 2009: Building a strong regional economy '''

Being my home region I know the great caprivi region well, the region has been going through a lot of hardships over the past decades from the failed succession attempt to floods and the evil of tribalism. But despite all of these and many other challenges, one thigh is clear; we want 2009 to be a year of improvements in different areas of the regional economy. Like Barack Obama says it “Change has come to America”, lets us all say change has come to the Caprivi in 2009.

Education

Education is primary for the development of the region, the region’s educational leaders should work extra hard to ensure that majority of our people in the region receive timely and quality education. Priority must be given to ensuring that the youth receive education and training to eliminate the lack of skills among the youth in the region.

Our Government continues to pump in a lot of resources in the national education sector, it’s equally important that the regional leadership also invest a lot of energy and efforts in the regional education sector. One major initiative to improve education would be implementing the no child left behind act of the Bush administration which aims to measure and close the gap between rich and poor student/learner performance, provide options to parents with students in low-performing schools, and target more government funding to low-income schools.

Every year we see a fewer metrics qualifying for tertiary education in the region, this is worrisome and require the efforts of the regional education officials to investigate the root causes of such failures and take prompt corrective action. My biggest dream for 2009 for the caprivi region is to see plans to build an agricultural and science UNAM campus in the caprivi region, despite the presence of the Caprivi College of Education and the Zambezi Vocational Center which are efforts we appreciate from our Government, there is still a greater need for agricultural and science expertise in the region with the rice project being a success thanks to the University of Namibia and other progressive partners, the region will have more need for quality agricultural skills. I made a submission of having a UNAM campus in the region to the office of the regional Governor Cde. L. Mwilima four month ago, for the honorable Governor and other educational officials to engage in dialogue with the office of the Vice Chancellor at UNAM. The fact that the closest campus to caprivi is over a 1000 KM away is genuinely disturbing. I hope to see a blue print to build a UNAM campus in the region by the end of 2009.

Youth Empowerment

To me there is nothing more important like youth empowerment when it comes to development. Youth empowerment is vital for the future of the region, I encourage the youth of the Caprivi region to fight for empowerment and equally strive to empower themselves through initiatives that will enable them to be strategic partners for development in the region. The creation of a youth resources center few years ago by the Government is a move in the right direction; it gives the youth of the region more resources for them to meet and learn in all forms and grow.

The Caprivi regional council together with the Ministry of Youth, National service, Sport and culture should also consider running more youth empowerment programmes similar to the programme been run by the National Youth Council by helping SMEs owned by the youth of the region, this is some thing vital to build a strong regional economy and empower the youth for the future- I salute Cde. Mandela Kapere and his team at NYC for such projects. Such programmes should not end in Katima mulilo but should extend to the villages in the region this is a challenge that constituency Councilors should take up as soon as possible to ensure that we move in the right direction in the arena of youth empowerment. 	Health care and sanitation

The increasing network of clinics around the caprivi region is commendable, but a lot still needs to be done to improve the quality of health care in the region, efforts must be made to ensure that no one in the region has to travel more than 1 KM to the nearest clinic or hospital. The region should also strive to produce its own health professionals to ensure reliability of health professionals. It’s a painful fact that HIV/AIDS is the region‘s biggest enemy, I should acknowledge that our Government continues to educate our people about HIV/ AIDS, I therefore want to effectively use this platform to encourage the youth of the region to reframe from drug and alcohol abuse as it is the root of most infections among the youth (The region’s most valuable asset) in the region.

I was happy to hear the Regional Council on its last meeting for 2008 recognizing the challenge of sanitation in the region, acknowledging the challenge is the start but we need a proactive blue print on how the council will tackle this challenge starting now in 2009. The plans said by Cde. J. Likando, Mayor of Katima Mulilo in a local daily to develop rural residential areas like Chotto into modern suburbs is a move in the right direction.

SME support

Small and medium sized businesses development is an ultimate key to empowering the locals and growing the regional economy, it’s through SME development that we will improve the lives of our people in the region in line with the Government’s vision 2030. I was extremely impressed with the new Small business center and renovation of the open market to a state of the art open market – I salute our Government, regional leaders and other partners for such developments. Let’s make 2009 a year in which we take SME development to the villages (especially at Bukalo and Kongola) not only in Katima mulilo to ensure that development starts at village level.

Agriculture

2008 was not a good year for farmers in the Caprivi region with foot and mouth disease been the biggest challenge for the regional agricultural sector in 2008. Lets make 2009 a year in which we will increase food supply in the region and as a result in the country as a whole, at the top of the list should be agricultural and veterinary education among the communal farmers in the villages whose mentality must move from that of just producing for their families but for the whole region and indeed the whole Namibia. Let the Rice project be caprivi treasure, lets see more young people employed and trained in the agricultural sector. Let the region return to what it was known as the food bucket of Namibia (Caprivi sizuma sa lico)  Private sector participation

We all know that private- public partnership is vital for development, but it should start at regional level. One wonders why a lot of businesses in the caprivi region are not actively involved in the development of the region, bank branches, Chinese shops, filling stations, food retailers like pick n pay etc hardly put a few pennies back in the development of the region that gives them the profits. The Caprivi regional council together with the Katima Mulilo town council should encourage full and active participation of the private sector operating in the region in terms of development in the region. A good example is Combra businesses, these businesses have benefited from the people in the region from its humble beginnings as a small food retailer but never have the even engaged in a developmental project or offered a bursary to young people in the region.

The private sector in the region should be actively involved in the following:

•	Sponsoring/ financing infrastructure developments in the region.

•	Offer internships and training to the youth in the region.

•	Offer bursaries and scholarships to orphans and other needy learners especially those studying in the region.

•	Chinese proprietors should start respecting zonings; they should start renting houses instead of staying in their shops.

•	Running and participating in  community uplifting projects

Infrastructure development

The Zambezi water front project is a historic project for the region, I want urge the people of the caprivi to contribute in any way possible in order to make sure that the Katima water front project is a success. Good Infrastructure is start of genuine development, to smoothen trade with other regions and countries the caprivi region is at a strategic position for Namibia with a good road network. Road is must for development in the caprivi, Katima mulilo road infrastructure is extremely poor; the Katima mulilo town council should invest in the town roads. On the other hand we want to see more gravel roads developed all around the region.

One question is loud when will we see plans of extending the national railway line up to Katima mulilo? Railway will not only be great regional economy but it will also improve road accidents were hundreds of our families are dieing from having to travel more than 1000 KM from Windhoek. The constant power and water shortages in Katima Mulilo is really an obstacle for development in the entire region, how can people live or invest in a town without adequate or reliable energy supply, lets make alternative energy supply and if necessary replace the entire water line system in the region. Bukalo and kongola should became town in the next decade, businesses should expand in those two major villages to allow for development in those two villages, equally the people of the region together with the regional council should invest time and energy to develop the two village into towns in the next decade. We also don’t want to see unspent government funds should be returned to taxpayers, the surplus is not the regional government’s money. The surplus is the people’s money therefore the regional government should wisely budget and utilize all funds from central government.

The Way forward

I wish to see the caprivi region moving in a direction of zero tolerance of corruption, tribalism, regionalism and nepotism. I want to encourage the religious leaders to lead the fight against the evil of tribalism, the youth on the other hand should take their future seriously by reframing from drug and alcohol abuse, undisciplined sexual behavior that may led to HIV/AIDS, let the youth empower themselves through private or public supported projects. I want to encourage those progressive youth that have studied at UNAM and other higher learning institutions to come back and plough their knowledge and expertise to recover the outflow of resources that went out of the region to pay for their education.

Let all youth in the region rally behind our Government’s developmental projects in the region, its only with our full support as young people of the region that our Government will fully implement these programmmes and projects and to drive out unemployment and lack of skills among the youth, underdevelopment at local and regional level, the evil of poverty and HIV/ AIDS among other things in the Caprivi region. With the 2009 elections on its way this year, lets practice tolerance and peaceful campaigns in the region to avoid any politically motivated violence.

REMEMBER: It’s not what your region can do for you but it’s what you can do for your region.

One Namibia, One Nation!

'''Nicky Mutenda Student activist '''