Ministry of Youth, National Youth Service, Sport and Culture
Introduction
A part of the colonial legacy of Namibia is the suffering caused by the system of apartheid, racial discrimination, war, poverty and other injustices to the Namibian people. Policies of apartheid rule in particular served to accentuate racial and ethnic divisions within the society to the extent that different communities continued to remain segregated geographically, economically and socially.
Namibia has a population of 1.6 million and, over the last few decades, the country’s population has been growing at a rate of three percent. Further, because of age distribution patterns, the number of youth is growing faster than any other age group. In the absence of viable alternatives in rural areas, many of these young people are migrating to towns and cities, swelling the ranks of urban unemployed. Repatriation of exiles and demobilisation of combatants from both sides of the conflict further aggravated the employment shortfall and increased the possibility of social tension.
Indeed,
unemployment is a major problem in Namibia. Only 19.6% of the economically
active population are employed and national unemployment rate is 31.4%. Such
levels of unemployment breed other problems, such as, increase in crime rate
and alcoholism. Alternative sources of income are generated by unemployed
Namibians from the sale of home-brewed beer and spirits. Still others live a
humiliating life by searching for scraps of food in garbage dumps in and near
the towns. This is not an unusual scene, but is a matter of grave concern for
the government.
We
have a high percentage of unemployed youth as most of them have very little or
no education. Most of these young people have severed their family links and
moved away from their home environments in search of work, which they are
unable to obtain because of lack of skills.
Young
people are an asset of any nation. They are full of energy and have a dream
and vision for the future. They are pragmatic and uninhibited in their
approach. This is a resource which, when properly nurtured can be rewarding,
but when ignored and neglected, can explode into catastrophe and disaster.
Colonial
rule did not prepare young Namibians for constructive contribution to nation
building. The Bantu Education System prepared young Namibians for subservient
roles only. As a consequence of the various ills of apartheid, contemporary
young Namibians find themselves unable to cope with the technically advanced
labour market. Hence, unemployment is the result. Crime rate has gone up as a
natural consequence of high unemployment and youth are being stigmatised as
perpetrators of crimes in our towns and cities.
Keeping
in mind these realities, a Ministry of Youth and Sport was created in 1991 by
hiving off the responsibilities of sport from the Ministry of Education,
Culture and Sport. Creation of this ministry was driven by the realisation
that the youth, who constitute more than half of the population, and their
problems, such as, illiteracy, inability to continue in school, lack of
appropriate skills, unemployment, alcohol abuse, etc., need focused attention.
In addition to addressing the social issues affecting young people, this
ministry is responsible for the promotion of sport in schools and at community
level; for, sport is an important ingredient of initiatives for building
individuals’ self-worth, and promoting community spirit.
Thus,
the objective of the ministry is to oversee all government policies and
operations in regard to youth and sport; to ensure that the objectives are
achieved and policies are properly implemented; to review policy options and
suggest and/or approve and make public government’s policies and guidelines
in these areas.
Functions
of the ministry include:
1.
Development of the youth to its fullest potential with special
reference to unemployed youth, illiterate youth, school dropouts between the
ages of 15 and 30, and rural youth.
2.
Promotion of sport to the optimum.
3.
Provision of administrative services.
Structure
of the Ministry
The
ministry carries out its responsibilities through two directorates, viz., the Directorate of Sport Promotion and Development, and the
Directorate of Youth Development.
Directorate
Youth Development
All
areas of work in which Directorate Youth Development is presently involved are
seen as essential to address the needs, problems and expectations of the
target group of this ministry. When Namibia
became independent, there was no institution that looked after the well-being
and interest of the youth despite the fact that it is the youth who are most
impacted by socio-economic issues, such as, education, skills, sports, health,
infrastructure, employment, etc. Therefore, this directorate is responsible
for addressing the youth’s concerns, and active promotion of their role in
national social and economic development. The Directorate also emphasises
plight of the unemployed youth and school dropouts and aims at enhancing their
access to economic and social services.
Youth
in Namibia is defined as that group of young people, both male and female,
aged between 15 and 30. However, for practical reasons, many of the activities
will often need to embrace all those below the age of 30. The definition is
therefore, not rigidly restrictive. What is important is the acknowledgement
that it is the youth as a group that is most beset by problems of school
drop-out, illiteracy, lack of appropriate skills, unemployment and
underemployment, alcohol and substance abuse, HIV/AIDS and other
health-related problems as well as problems of urbanisation.
Therefore,
the directorate’s mission is to plan, co-ordinate, facilitate and implement
programmes for the socio-economic development of the Namibian youth in
conformity with national development goals and objectives as set out in the
National Youth Policy and the priority areas in youth development as defined
by the Commonwealth Youth Programme and the United Nations.
The
directorate consists of two divisions: Division Resource Co-ordination,
Information and Research, and Division Training and Employment.
Division
Resource Co-ordination, Information and Research
The
division is responsible for enhancing, identifying, consolidating and
providing necessary resources to facilitate national youth initiatives. Its
functions therefore include:
1.
Collecting information on youth resources.
2.
Registering youth groups and associations.
3.
Identifying social support networks for young people.
4.
Enhancing scientific research for the provision of data for strategy
planning.
5.
Administering an information data bank for disseminating information on
youth needs, health and counselling.
6.
Carrying out research on youth needs, problems and expectations.
7.
Producing a newsletter/information paper.
8.
Facilitating government and non-government participation in
international and Commonwealth youth programmes.
9.
Planning, co-ordination and implementation of youth development
programmes.
10.
Planning, co-ordinating and facilitating national and international
youth exchange programmes.
Programmes
are developed by programme specialists and national co-ordinators at head
office level in collaboration with the target group, line ministries and
through their involvement in inter-ministerial and inter-sectoral committees.
These programmes are then implemented by regional youth officers and staff in
collaboration with regional and district youth forums and groups.
Development
and Implementation of Youth Policies and Strategies
The
ministry provides broad guidelines for youth development from which action
programmes and services for youth are developed. These programmes aim at
encouraging active participation and contribution of the Namibian youth to
national, social and economic development. To that end, the ministry has
formulated a National Youth Policy and strategies that serve as guidelines for
youth development.
Empowering
Youth
The
government’s initiatives for empowering youth involve:
1.
promoting and encouraging active participation and contribution of
Namibian youth in national social and economic development,
2.
providing a platform for NGOs involved with youth to meet and share
experiences, and
3.
creating structures through which youth can be represented, e.g., the
National Youth Council, regional youth for a, and district fora.
The
ministry is also entrusted with the task of promoting and developing sport
among the Namibian population and the youth in particular, as well as of
combating youth unemployment. In its emphasis on the need for the “youth to
grow with the nation” the government has set out to:
1.
promote employment, training and education opportunities for young
people,
2.
support young people with special needs, including those with
disabilities,
3.
encourage better health and healthy life-style among young people, and
4.
promote the rights and responsibilities of young people and increase
their participation in national development.
Thus,
youth development is seen as a process of continuous planning of youth
development structures, institutions and programmes that facilitates and
creates societal conditions conducive to the advancement and protection of the
rights of the youth and their self-actualisation.
National
Juvenile Justice Programme
To
facilitate successful implementation of this programme, the ministry continues
to function as a collaborating partner in the juvenile justice reform process.
Emphasis of this programme continues to be on five component areas:
1.
Life Skills Diversion Programme which aims at diverting juvenile
offenders away from the strict and formal criminal justice system to a system
of life skills training.
2.
Prisons and Detainment Outreach Programme through the provision of life
skills training to those youths already in prisons.
3.
Monitoring and data collection.
4.
Juvenile Justice Advocacy and Awareness.
5.
Juvenile Crime Prevention Programme
Juvenile
Justice Advocacy and Awareness is a new programme, developed in mid-1994. It
aims to support the juvenile justice reform in Namibia by providing specific
juvenile justice programming, training and advocacy. In addition, the
programme works closely with other line ministries and NGOs to ensure a co-ordinated
approach to reform.
The
ministry recognises the important contribution youth can make in affecting
change and promoting economic and social development in Namibia. However, too
often, young people fail to benefit from this process because of single or
multiple conflicts with the law that leads to incarceration and/or labelling
as a “criminal.”
The
Juvenile Justice Reform process was begun in July 1994 with the creation of
the Juvenile Justice Forum, an informal organisation set up to address
pertinent juvenile justice issues. The group consists of representatives from
various line ministries and NGOs with an interest in juvenile justice reform.
The ministry is a founding member of the forum and has been actively involved
in juvenile justice advocacy, development and implementation ever since. This
programme is an expressed commitment by the ministry to expand its juvenile
justice reform programme and service provision to juvenile offenders.
Youth
and Child Rights Advocacy Programme
This
programme forms part of our Juvenile Justice Programme and contains aspects of
the Family Life Empowerment Programme and the National Plan of Action for
Children which will be co-ordinated by the newly appointed juvenile justice
co-ordinator. Main aim of this programme is to promote public awareness and
address issues relating to youth and child rights and to assist with the
monitoring of these expressed youth and child rights as embodied Article 15 of
the Constitution of Namibia, as well as the United Nations and other
international treaties and agreements.
The
programme is, however, not simply advocacy through awareness, but rather
advocacy through action. It is national in scope and will be implemented
throughout the country. The following programme initiatives are already in
progress:
1.
child rights training for staff,
2.
monitoring of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child,
3.
public awareness campaigns and local committees,
4.
children and women in especially difficult circumstances,
5.
National Programme of Action for Children, and
6.
data collection and analysis.
This
programme puts particular emphasis on issues relating to juvenile justice,
primary health care and education. The programme is national in scope and
implemented throughout the country by regional youth officers and multipurpose
youth resource centre staff personnel of this ministry.
Youth
Education, Information and Communication
The
youth never had the opportunity to actively participate in environmental
issues because they did not have the opportunity to participate in any
development. There are crucial global issues regarding the environment, e.g.,
deforestation, conservation, population, etc. where youth can play a very
constructive role. Therefore, this programme aims to promote a number of
initiatives as follows:
Environmental
Education Programme
1.
environmental awareness and advocacy,
2.
establishing and running urban and rural environmental education clubs,
3.
establishing and running urban based environmental centres youth
conservation corps, and
youth wilderness corps, and
4.
community-based tourism.
Integrated
Rural Youth Development
Rural
areas in Namibia contain 70% of the country’s population. Though rural youth
face constraints similar to those faced by their urban counterparts, these
constraints are exacerbated as a result of availability of fewer resources and
more problematic access to potential development interventions. In general,
young people face a host of harsh realities: high unemployment; limited
potential for income-generating activities for want of capital and expertise
required to initiate such activities; high numbers of early school leavers;
illiteracy; lack of training or recreational facilities; and health problems
which may be associated with HIV/AIDS and uneven access to relevant
information concerning health, contraception and sexuality.
Response
of many young people to the depressing range of issues affecting their daily
reality is to migrate to urban centres, where they hope to obtain employment.
An increasing number of young people seeking work as casual labourers each day
on the streets of Windhoek bears witness to the trend. Not only does this
urban migration place increasing burden on facilities in urban areas, it also
deprives the rural areas of the energy and creativity of young people --
further encouraging the cycle to continue. Therefore, this programme aims to:
1.
empower rural youth by providing facilities, services and educational
opportunities in an informal setting,
2.
integrate rural youth into community-based natural resources management
programmes,
3.
provide rural youth with vocational skills in an informal education
setting using experiment-based learning techniques, and
4.
develop and implement self-employment projects.
Youth
Health Programme
Very
high rates of teenage pregnancy raise a number of concerns in relation to the
country’s overall population growth and development, the youth’s
reproductive health, and their vulnerability to poverty. It is a complex
problem requiring understanding of socio-cultural environment, changes that
take place in adolescents’ life, adolescent attitudes to sexuality, peer
group pressure, economic pressure linked to poverty, social change and
urbanisation process, and decay of traditional structures that formerly
moulded the transition from childhood to socially-valued reproductive roles,
extent of education on sex and contraceptive knowledge and practice, and the
youth’s proneness to such problems as unemployment, alcohol and drug abuse.
Addressing these problems requires a holistic approach and the involvement of
a leading agency to facilitate co-ordination and implementation.
In
November 1992, the ministry was given the mandate to develop a programme of
youth health and development with out-of-school
youth at the first International Conference on School and Youth Health,
held in Swakopmund. In January 1994, the Youth Health Programme of the
ministry was established with its main focus on out-of-school youth. The
programme is also accessible to school-going youth, but outside of the school
context. Since that time, the programme has developed a variety of strategies
to attempt to meet health needs of young people. The programme’s emphasis is
on counselling and education, provision of youth-friendly health related
services, preventative programmes, peer education and counselling, and
research. Main components of overall health programme are as follows:
Needs
Assessment: The
first stage of the programme was to assess the specific health needs of young
people. Priorities as perceived by young people were identified through focus
group discussions with young people throughout the country. Overall, health
issues identified were reproductive health, alcohol and drug abuse, and
broader social problems issues emanating from these health problems.
Training:
One
of the major components of the programme has been to train youth officers to
incorporate health promotion work as part of their work as youth development
workers, drawing on extensive links between health and development. This
training has included a number of components as follows:
1.
Understanding of health as an integral part of youth development.
2.
Organising, facilitating and evaluating participatory education with
young people.
3.
Developing a range of media for effective communication on health.
4.
Developing peer education and counselling initiatives.
5.
Encouraging innovation when working with young people.
Information,
Education and Communication:
There has been a strong focus on the development of information, education and
communication strategies driven by young people who have wide range of skills,
ideas and creativity which are under-tapped. Thus, health officers facilitate
the process but allow young people to take the process further.
Research:
The
research component of the health programme focuses particularly on those young
people who are marginalised in some way. To date, this has included research
into the health and development needs of rural youth in the Kavango Region
through a process of participatory rapid appraisal; and research into the
situation of young sex workers and their clients in Walvis Bay. Through the
health programme, research is also being initiated into rights and
discrimination in the context of HIV infection in Namibia. It is hoped that
the research component of the health programme will be strengthened in the
coming years with researching current initiatives in youth health throughout
the country, and documenting these in a systematic form with a view to
developing an extensive and easily-accessible data base.
Service
Provision: After
more than two years of work on health education, it became apparent that the
involvement of the Youth Health Programme in health promotion could also be
extended to provision of health services. Such an approach was thought to be
more effective in meeting a clearly identified need for open and friendly
service for young people, especially in relation to the more sensitive aspects
of young people’s health, such as, their reproductive health. Further, it
was felt that existing services did not have the human resources or time to
really offer young people all the information, education, counselling and
support they required, and that these services were often not sensitive to the
needs of young people. In order to take this initiative further, a pilot
programme is to be established in Windhoek.
Information
Programme
There
is generally a lack of adequate structures to identify needs and to provide
information and services to youth in order for them to become active players
in the future development of the country. The ministry recognised this gap and
decided to play a catalytic role in identifying the needs of the youth, co-ordinating
creative responses to the needs, and mobilising resources to address these
needs. The ministry also recognises that NGOs and community-based
organisations can play an important role in meeting there challenges. Further,
many of the ministries already perform functions that can contribute to the
alleviation of the identified problems. Accordingly the concept of “Workers
with Youth Forum and Network” was developed.
The
aim of the programme is to establish a central resources unit, namely, the
National Information Data Bank and Information, Education and Communication
Unit (IEC) that seeks to assist youth, youth organisations, and researchers at
national and regional levels in accessing resources, training material and
information on youth-related issues, and in providing opportunity to network
with others in related fields.
Overall,
therefore, this programme aims to enhance information collection and
dissemination on youth issues by taking a number of initiatives as follows:
1.
a quarterly youth magazine,
2.
establishing a computerised data bank on youth issues,
3.
regional and national youth resource directories,
4.
national directory of youth organisations,
5.
directory of professional youth workers,
6.
conducting youth related research and data collecting,
7.
establishing a youth and rural youth-specific reference library and
study facilities,
8.
producing reference materials for programmes and youth workers,
9.
establishing a youth information desk, and
10.
facilitating international networking.
Youth
Exchange Programme and Youth Hostels
The
aim of this programme is to provide young Namibians opportunity to meet with
youth at national, regional and international levels and through this contact
share knowledge and experiences by participating in regional, national and
international youth exchange programmes, and regional, national and
international volunteer work camps. In addition, the ministry provides youth
hostel facilities of international standard.
National
Youth Service Scheme
This
scheme will be a national study service scheme for all categories of Namibian
youth. It will aim at school leavers and youth out of school to engage in
study service within the public sector where they would be involved in the
social development of the country. This scheme is being put in place in the
light of the fact that the youth in Namibia were disadvantaged in the area of
employment, skills training and education and need an opportunity to play a
constructive role.
Provision
and Maintenance of Infrastructure
The
aim is to provide well-equipped youth resource centres with well-qualified and
motivated staff to address the multiple problems and expectations of youth in
the regions. These centres will seek to bring together various communities and
government agencies involved in youth work and thereby strengthen programmes
and activities as well as maximise the utilisation of scarce resources.
Various infrastructural projects include establishing regional multipurpose
youth resource centres, integrated rural youth development centres,
environmental education centres, youth hostels, and youth-friendly health
clinics.
Regional
Multipurpose Youth Resource Centres
The
purpose of the regional multi-purpose youth resource centres is to provide
regional personnel and young people, and organisations with well-equipped
facilities, resources and trained personnel for the promotion and development
of youth development programmes and activities. These centres will also be
used to accommodate the regional youth and sport offices. Their main tasks and
responsibilities are therefore as follows:
1.
to receive and disseminate information on local, national and
international resources,
2.
to co-ordinate the activities of the centre with those of the regional
office, youth groups, and
workers with youth in the region,
3.
to provide counselling services,
4.
to plan programmes and activities for needs and expectations as
identified by regional and district offices,
5.
to develop and share resources as needed by the region,
6.
to provide exhibition facilities as needed by the community, and
7.
to provide youth friendly reproductive health services.
Integrated
Rural Youth Development Centres
Two
centres are being planned, one at Frans Dimbare in the Caprivi Region, and one
at Warmbad in the Karas Region. Aim of theses integrated rural youth
development and environmental centres are to empower rural youth by providing
facilities, services and educational opportunities.
By assisting rural young people in building environmental awareness,
life and vocational skills, and strengthening families and communities through
a participatory development approach, the ministry's project will lead to
greater capacity on the part of rural youth in successfully addressing their
own needs.
Specific
objectives for the development of the integrated rural youth development and
environmental centres include:
1.
erection of buildings for day to day operations of the centres;
2.
procurement of the necessary technical equipment and teaching aids;
3.
developing and implementing environmental education programmes as a way
of integrating rural youth into the community-based natural resource
management programmes;
4.
providing rural youth with vocational skills in an informal educational
setting, using experience-based learning techniques, such as, fish farming,
animal husbandry, entrepreneurship, agricultural production, crafts, etc.;
5.
developing and implementing programmes to assist young people in their
finding or creating own employment; and
6.
developing and implementing programmes through which rural youth can
acquire basic life skills, such as, health education, leadership training, art
and culture, recreation and sport, etc.
Youth
Hostels
The
aim of the youth hostels is to provide short-term, affordable, safe and clean
accommodation for local and foreign young people and to provide accommodation
for staff of the ministry during in-service training courses. These facilities
could also be used to accommodate youth groups and workers with youth during
workshops, seminars and conferences organised by the ministry; and to
accommodate both local and international sport teams.
These
hostels would be attached to the regional multi-purpose youth resource centres
to enable rural youth to utilise the centres’ facilities.
Human
Resource Development
The
ministry puts great emphasis on providing the necessary in-service training to
its staff to better their qualifications and skills. In this regard, training
courses are scheduled each year to provide staff with the necessary skills and
work experience. In addition, staff members are sent on national and
international courses as needed.
The
objective of the division is to facilitate youth training and employment and
co-ordinate youth entrepreneurship training. Towards fulfilling this
objective, the division carries out a number of functions as follows:
1.
preparing the youth for labour the market;
2.
developing and improving relevant skills to enable youth to enter the
job market;
3.
identifying, facilitating and co-ordinating training needs and
employment opportunities;
4.
co-ordinating and facilitating youth skills training and supervising
the smooth running thereof;
5.
co-ordinating and facilitating youth career guidance;
6.
planning, co-ordinating and implementing the National Youth Service
Scheme;
7.
co-ordinating, facilitating and assisting youth in entrepreneurship
training programmes; and
8.
providing the youth access to credit facilities.
Youth
Skills Training
To
ensure the acquisition and development of relevant and marketable skills by
the youth, the division
strives
to:
1.
develop, monitor and evaluate relevant and marketable skills for the
youth;
2.
co-ordinate and mobilise locally, as well as internationally, efforts
geared towards skills
development;
3.
harness, by conducting workshops, the latent potential skills that the
youth possess; and
4.
provide appropriate information and relevant skills to youth.
Youth
Entrepreneurial Training Programme
To
plan, co-ordinate and facilitate youth entrepreneurial training programmes for
unemployed young people, the division seeks to:
1.
identify training needs of the young people to assist them in setting
up business;
2.
provide information and guidance to youth on training and employment
opportunities;
3.
ensure that young people who undergo training have access to appropriate
credit facilities;
4.
co-ordinate and facilitate community projects;
5.
liase with Namibia National Chamber of Commerce and Industry and other
NGOs on available
credit
facilities for young business people;
6.
keep up-to-date records on youth enterprise training programmes and
ensure that tracer studies
are carried out to determine if
training provided is responsive to market demands;
7.
monitor and evaluate the performance of youth income generating projects
in progress; and
8.
communicate and co-ordinate strategies, plans and programmes for
entrepreneurial training with line ministries, private sector and NGOs.
Operational
Objectives
The
division’s operational objectives can be outlined as follows:
1.
to facilitate youth training and employment through the establishment of
youth skills training centres, and to assist them with finding employment;
2.
to develop relevant skills in conjunction with labour market demand so as
to enable youth access to the job market;
3.
to identify, facilitate and co-ordinate training needs for young men and
women with disabilities and ensure that training and recreational facilities are
built taking their needs into account;
4.
to share gathered information with youth on appropriate marketable skills
and where and how to obtain them;
5.
to assist and facilitate the registration of unemployed youth countrywide
and to pass on such information to the Ministry of Labour;
6.
to establish multipurpose youth resource centres and youth hostels in all
thirteen regions of Namibia, that will serve as educational, recreational and
health centres for young people;
7.
to sensitize both parents and youth on the causes and impact of sexually
transmitted diseases (STDs) and HIV/AIDS, and prevention thereof; and
8.
to provided young men and women with information on their legal rights
and to work closely with the Ministries of Home Affairs and Justice on matters
pertaining juvenile offenders and how best to rehabilitate them.
Directorate
Sport Promotion and Development
Most
of the objectives for which this directorate was created for are still valid
today and would continue to be valid for the foreseeable future.
The accomplishment of the directorate’s objectives is a process,
somewhat evolutionary. In a nutshell these objectives are:
1.
to promote and support sporting activities locally and internationally;
2.
to establish basic sport facilities at identified strategic points and to
upgrade existing ones to international standards;
3.
to introduce certain sport-codes into communities where they are unknown;
4.
to ensure that each and every Namibian has the opportunity to practice
the sport discipline of his/her choice;
5.
to monitor the application of statutory provisions in both amateur and
professional sport; and
6.
to promote and, where possible, to provide professional training for
sport technical staff, administrators and officials.
The
Directorate of Sport is made up of two divisions, namely, the Community Sport
Promotion Division, and the School Sport Promotion Division. At the helm of the
directorate is a director while deputy directors head the two divisions.
Namibia
National Sports Council (NNSC), Namibia School Sport Union (NSSU), and Tertiary
Institutions Sports Associations of Namibia (TISAN).
National
Sports Commission
The
functions of the commission are:
1.
To advise the minister with regard to any matter on which the minister is
required to consult the commission
in terms of the Sport Act, management and development of sports in Namibia, and
any matter which the minister refers to the commission for its investigation and
advice.
2.
Subject to the provision of the Sports Act, to administer the fund.
3.
To exercise control over the participation of any sports person or any
national association in any international sports event.
4.
To exercise control over the
awarding of any national sports colours by any person or national association to
any sports person or team.
5.
To exercise control over the arrangement of any international sports
event, any
person, or national association.
Achievements
Directorate
Youth Development
The
directorate secured a niche for the ministry in the national socio-economic
development through measurable achievements in the last ten years are as
follows:
Establishment
of the National Youth Council
The
National Youth Council, which is an independent body, was established by an Act
of Parliament to act as vanguard umbrella organization for youth and youth
organizations and to advise the Ministry of Youth and Sport on all matters
pertaining to young people. Its
annual budget is fully funded by the ministry and has certainly succeeded in
promoting youth participation in decisions that affect them.
Since its inception, the council’s executive committee has worked
closely with the ministry in establishing infrastructure regionally to enhance
communication between urban and rural youth.
The council also funds youth income generating projects, annual youth
EXPO and other programmes and activities for the youth.
The latest achievement of the council, in conjunction with its mother
body, the Ministry of Youth and Sport, was the holding of the Second National
Youth Conference, from 4 to 6 August 1999.
Youth
Skills Training Centres
These
centres refer to vocational institutions targeting unemployed youth and school
dropouts with emphasis on those unable to access vocational training centres of
the Ministry of Higher Education, Vocational Training, Science and Technology.
In other words, these centres act like a “bridge” between the
unemployed, and in most cases uneducated, youth and vocational training centres.
They offer one-year skills training in carpentry, bricklaying, welding,
tailoring, hospitality training and plumbing.
There
are currently two of such centres, one at Kai//Ganaxab in Mariental, with an
annual intake of some thirty trainees, and one at Okahao. Budgetary provision
has been made in the next financial year (2000/2001) for the expansion of the
Okahao Centre in order to increase its capacity.
By
the end of 1998, these centres produced approximately 515 graduates in various
disciplines, and the majority of them were fortunate enough to obtain employment
right away. However, Namibia with a
small private sector will be unable to absorb all our trainees, and, therefore,
there is a need to provide to these qualified trainees access to credit
facilities for starting their own business – may be in the form of
co-operatives.
With
effect from 1 April 2000, additional youth skills training centres will become
operational, one in the Omaheke Region and the other in the Erongo Region.
Erongo Region’s Centre will be a hospitality training centre, while the
Omaheke one will concentrate more on agriculture.
Youth
Employment and Entrepreneurial Promotion Programmes
The
programmes aim at engaging the youth in meaningful production activities and
income generating enterprises geared to instil self-esteem and the spirit of
self-reliance amongst the youth. So far, various youth projects have been set up
to produce leather products, agricultural products, and brick making, and to
provide eco-tourism and recreational facilities. With additional funding from
NGOs and international organizations awaited in the next financial year, the
idea of youth becoming their own bosses appears to be paying off.
Multi-Purpose
Youth Resource Centres and Youth Hostels
These
facilities bring multi-programmes and activities under one roof. Four such
centres have become fully operational, in each in the Oshana Region (Oshakati);
Erongo Region (Swakopmund), Hardap Region (Keetmanshoop) and Omusati Region (Outapi).
Plans are underway to build similar centres in all our thirteen regions.
Briefly,
these centres offer cheap and affordable accommodation for young men and women
(local and international); programmes pertaining to youth health, such as,
reproductive health, peer counseling; HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention;
juvenile justice programme for young offenders; income generating activities;
and environmental education. These
centres also serve as conference facilities for the government and the NGOs,
including youth organizations and church groups.
National
Youth Service Scheme (NYSS)
This
scheme offers an experimental learning environment for high school graduates and
school dropouts (unemployed) and aims at involving the youth in national
economic development. First fifty Grade 12 graduates will complete one year
voluntary community service in the year 2000 before joining institutions of
higher education in 2001. The
second group will include fifty Grade 12 and 200 Grade 10 and school dropouts by
September 2000.
While
Grade 12 participants are destined for further studies, those without Grade 12
will join vocational training centres for two years after completing their one
year-voluntary community service. The
programme will become permanent once the piloting currently underway proves its
worth.
Directorate
Sport Promotion
Sport
Policy and Sport Act (1995)
Before
independence there was neither a sport policy nor appropriate to govern the
administration of sport in the country. As
a result, inequalities of the previous dispensation were quite rampant in sport
too. In many instances, some
sport-disciplines were only for the privileged urban elite.
Therefore, a Sport Policy for the Development of Sport for all Namibians
was formulated, followed by the enactment of an Act of Parliament to enforce it.
Ideas behind these legal instruments were to give each and every Namibian equal
opportunity to participate in the sport-code of his/her choice and to redress
inequalities of the past.
Soon
after Namibia became independent, the government, in conjunction with Namibia
Sport Council, embarked upon a programme of training trainers in the various
sport-disciplines all over the country. Much
has been achieved; many sport people in the regions are now exposed to
sport-codes that were unknown to them earlier. Sport-codes like hockey,
volleyball, and, to some extent, tennis, previously known only in urban areas,
are now finding expression in the regions.
However great deal still needs to be done.
Again, as with many aspect of sport, many of them are ongoing projects.
In
coaching clinics, teachers and local club coaches were trained with the latest
techniques for the promotion of sport. Approximately
8500 coaches have so far been trained through these programmes and there is no
doubt that they are making a difference in our effort for the upliftment of the
standard of sport in the country.
During
the last decade, Namibia participated successfully in many international events.
Many individual sport-codes also participated in many international events. In
multi-sport-disciplines events, Namibia took part in two Olympic Games, two
Commonwealth Games, and three All Africa Games.
Due
to financial constraints, only soccer, athletics, netball and volleyball
featured this year. If funds permit, more codes will be added to the list in the
future.
Coaches
The
Ministry of Youth and Sport joined other ministries and government agencies
through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in signing different permanent joint
commissions of co-operation on youth and sport related matters.
On
soccer, the ministry has agreement with Germany allowing Mr. P Ueberjahn, the
current coach of the National Team, to be seconded to this ministry. German
football expert will continue to be available to Namibia on a long-term basis.
The ministry has also a very fruitful and intensive exchange programme in the
field of youth football between Namibia and the Westfalia Regional Association
of the German Football Federation.
Pursuant
to the Agreement on Economic, Technical, Scientific and Cultural Co-operation,
which provides for the establishment of a Joint Permanent Commission of
Co-operation between Namibia and Cuba, the ministry recently received two sport
coaching experts in basketball and boxing from Cuba.
They did an excellent job to the development of sport in Namibia.
In the same vain, seven sport coaches are expected to arrive in Namibia
from Cuba in the field of boxing, wrestling, basketball, volleyball and
athletics.
The
National Sport Commission has successfully solved the conflicts of different
sport-codes. The commission
together with the Ministry of Youth and Sport put up a National Soccer Team
Interim Committee to run the national soccer team’s activities. The Namibia
Football Association today is enjoying a better administration as a result of
the efforts of the ministry and the commission.
In
addition, the ministry and the commission have dealt with similar problems of
the Rugby Union and conflict was successfully resolved. Sport-codes’ problems
for the Athletic Union and other sports disciplines were also handled by the
commission.
Namibia
National Olympic Committee
The
Namibia National Olympic Committee (NNOC) was established in accordance with the
guidelines laid down by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) which approved
the membership of NNOC in 1991. NNOC may receive money or property by way of
donation, bequest or in trust and may control, use or administer it subject to
conditions, if any, of such donations, bequest or trust as long as they are
consistent with the aims of NNOC. Overall, NNOC strives to:
1.
ensure the development and protection of the Olympic Movement and sport
in general;
2.
observe and enforce the rules laid down in the Olympic Charter;
3.
safeguard the absolute autonomy of NNOC and to resist all pressures;
5.
undertake the organization of these games when they are held in Namibia;
6.
submit proposals to IOC with regard to the Olympic Charter, the Olympic
Movement in general, as well as the organisation and conduct of the Olympic
Games; and
7.
collaborate with private or government bodies to ensure the promotion of
a sound sport policy for Namibia.
NNOC
has, together with the Ministry of Youth and Sport, organised and prepared
Namibia’s national teams to participate in various Olympic Games, Youth Games,
All Africa Games, and Commonwealth Games.
Namibia
National Sport Council
The
Namibia National Sport Council (NNSC) is the implementing agent of the ministry
and the National Sports Commission for senior sport in Namibia. NNSC was
established in March 1990 when Namibia received its independence. It is one of
the partners in Namibian sport and has a close relationship with the ministry in
working at grassroots level. Aims and objectives of NNSC include:
1.
co-ordinating and promoting sport in Namibia, both amateur and
professional;
2.
ensuring that no racial, religious, political or other form of
discrimination is allowed in sport;
3.
ensuring uniformity of national sports emblems, badges, colours and dress
and controlling the awarding, issuing and wearing thereof;
4.
promoting affiliation of its members with international sports bodies;
5.
fostering a spirit of goodwill, equality and fraternity through sport;
6.
promoting national fitness and awareness through participation in sport;
7.
facilitating the participation in sport at club, regional, national and
international levels;
8.
co-ordinating and promoting the provision and availability of sports
facilities and equipment in all areas and to the advantage of all communities in
Namibia;
9.
improving the standards of all facets of sport in Namibia; and
10.
responding to any official request from the National Sports Commission.
The
affiliated codes of NNSC include:
1.
Namibia Amateur Athletic Union,
2.
Namibia Basketball Federation,
3.
Namibia Billiards and Snooker Association,
4.
Badminton Union of Namibia,
5.
Namibian Body-building Association,
6.
Namibia Bowling Association,
7.
Namibia National Amateur Boxing Federation,
8.
Namibia Canoe Federation,
9.
Namibia Cricket Board,
10.
Namibian Cycling Federation,
11.
Namibia Darts Association,
12.
Namibia Endurance Ride Association,
13.
Namibian National Equestrian Federation,
14.
Fistball Association of Namibia,
15.
Namibia Football Association,
16.
Federation for Fresh Water Anglers,
17.
Namibia Golf Federation,
18.
Namibian Gymnastics Federation,
19.
Namibia Handball Federation,
20.
Namibia Hockey Union,
21.
Namibia Inline Skating Association,
22.
Namibia Jukskei Board,
23.
Namibia Amateur Karate Union,
24.
Namibia Motor Sport Federation,
25.
All Namibian Netball Association,
26.
Namibia Power Boat
Association,
27.
Namibia Practical Shooting Association,
28.
Parachute Association of Namibia,
29.
Namibia Rugby Union,
30.
Namibia Saddle Horse Association,
31.
Namibia Salt Water Angling Association,
32.
Namibia Sailing Association,
33.
Namibia Service Shooting Association,
34.
National Shooting Union of Namibia,
35.
Soaring Society of Namibia,
36.
Namibia National Softball Union,
37.
Namibian Squash Association,
38.
Namibia Surfing, Water-ski Surfing and Body Board Association,
40.
Namibia Amateur Swimming Union,
41.
Namibia Table Tennis Association,
42.
Namibia Tennis Association,
43.
Namibian Triathlon Federation,
44.
Namibian Tug-of-War Association,
45.
Namibia Underwater Federation,
46.
Namibian Volleyball Association, and
47.
Namibia Amateur Wrestling
Federation.
The
Namibia National Sports Council can be credited with a number of successes and
can take pride in the fact that:
1.
Namibia attended with great honours the Olympic Games in Barcelona and
Atlanta and is preparing to participate in the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
2.
Namibia participated in the 1995 All Africa Games in Zimbabwe and more
recently in the Seventh All African Games, in South Africa.
3.
Namibia participated in the Commonwealth Games in Victoria, Canada in
1994 and in the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1998.
4.
Namibia sent a multi-disciplined team to the Youth Games staged in Moscow
during June 1998. During these events, Cecilia Iikango won a silver medal in the
3000m.
5.
Without doubt, Frank Fredericks is Namibia’s most successful and
celebrated athletics star with numerous international medals. He is also
currently the 200m indoor world champion.
6.
On the soccer field, Namibia excelled by participating in the Africa Cup
of Nations held in Burkina Faso in 1998. The Brave Warriors played against
Angola in the finals in the COSAFA Cup 1999.
7.
Harry Simon is the WBO World Champion.
8.
Bobby Joe Bassingthwaighte was the first Namibian to swim the English
Channel.
Namibia
Schools Sport Union
Namibia
Schools Sport Union (NSSU), established on 26 November 1992, is a statutory body
responsible for all the schools sport activities.
It receives a grant yearly from the Ministry of Youth and Sport for
schools sport activities. Sport-codes affiliated to the NSSU include: athletics,
soccer, netball, volleyball, boxing, rugby, basketball, cricket, chess, and
hockey.
NSSU’s
aims and objectives include:
1.
promoting all sport-codes in primary, secondary and private schools in
the country;
2.
developing specific sporting codes at school level and providing sound
basics for future national teams;
3.
developing schools sport in underdeveloped areas, and creating a balance between different regions;
4.
fostering good relations between learners through participation in sport;
and
5.
formulating a code of conduct for school sport.
NSSU’s
many successes can be enumerated as follows:
1.
Primary and secondary national schools teams represented Namibia in
different sport disciplines in international events; one primary school athlete
won a gold medal and three more athletes in athletics received bonze medals.
2.
Namibia’s youth national team participated in World Youth Games in
Moscow where Cecilia Iikango won second place in 3000m and received a silver
medal.
3.
The Gothia Soccer Cup matches were held in Gotenborg Sweden in 1998.
Six matches were played and Namibia came second out of fifty-two teams.
Quinton Jacobs caught the eye of expert representatives of Manchester
United Football Club.
4.
The under 17 soccer team visited Westfalia in Germany for a series of
games. Many of these team members represented, through Namibia Football
Association (NFA), in Swaziland.
5.
NSSU hosted Zone VI Sport Competitions in Namibia in various sport-codes.
Tertiary
Institutions Sports Association of Namibia (TISAN)
The
Tertiary Institutions Sports Association of Namibia (TISAN) was established in
1990 and registered with the Ministry of Youth and Sport and other sports
organizations. The association started with only three members back in 1990,
being Windhoek College of Education, Academy, and Neudamm. Since then the
membership has grown to seventeen. These
include:
1.
Caprivi College of Education
2.
Rundu College of Education
3.
Windhoek College of Education
4.
Ongwediva College of Education
5.
Ongwediva Vocational Training Centre
6.
Valombola Vocational Training Centre
7.
Ogongo Agriculture College
8.
Neudamm Agriculture College
9.
Oshakati Nursing College
10.
Polytechnic of Namibia
11.
Tsumis Agriculture
12.
University of Namibia
13.
Onandjokwe Nursing College
14.
Rundu Vocational Training Centre
15.
Namibia Institute of Mining and Technology
16.
Zambezi Vocational Training Centre
17.
Institute of Higher Education
Aims
and objectives of TISAN are as follows:
1.
developing, encouraging and supervising sports for students at tertiary
level;
2.
encouraging sporting competitions amongst members;
3.
promoting the highest standard of sporting achievement, conduct,
discipline and sportsmanship amongst members;
4.
developing contacts with other bodies within Namibia and abroad;
5.
allocating funds;
6.
approving the awarding of sports colours and trophies;
7.
regulating the use of sporting facilities by members in liaison with
appropriate institutions;
8.
seeking recognition as the body representing the interest of sports and
members; and
9.
ensuring that no racial, religious, political or any other form of
discrimination is practised amongst its members.
Tertiary
Institutions Sports Association of Namibia has achieved numerous successes as
follows:
1.
TISAN games have been presented in numerous codes as follows: netball,
rugby, soccer (1990); athletics, netball, rugby, soccer, basketball (1991), and
volleyball athletics, netball, rugby, soccer, basketball, volleyball, table
tennis, tennis (1992). From 1993 onwards, the core codes were presented with
additional codes as competition demanded.
2.
TISAN is a founding member of the Confederation of University and College
of Sport in Southern Africa (CUCSA) which was established in Namibia in 1990
with three countries, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. CUCSA now has ten member
states.
3.
Members of CUCSA Zone VI are: Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi,
Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
4.
TISAN participated in CUCSA Zone VI held in: Namibia (1990), Zambia,
Zimbabwe (1991), Swaziland (1992), Zimbabwe (1993), Botswana (1994: overall
Namibia secured first position), Namibia (1995: overall Namibia secured first
position), Malawi (1996: overall Namibia secured second position), Zimbabwe
(1997: overall Namibia secured position), South Africa (1998: overall Namibia
secured fourth position), and Zambia (1998).
5.
TISAN joined the International University Sports Federation in 1990 and
attended the Summer Universities (World Student Games) in Sheffield, UK with two
athletes (1991), Buffalo, USA with
fifteen athletes (1993), Fukuoka, Japan with thirteen athletes (1995), Cicily,
Italy with fourteen athletes (1997), and Palma, Spain with three athletes
(1999). At Palma our athletes showed very good progress, with C. Van Wyk
qualifying for semi-finals in 200m.
Since
independence, basic sport-facilities have been completed at Katima Mulilo,
Rundu, Opuwo, Khorixas, Mariental, Windhoek, and Lüderitz. The ministry also
expects facilities at Oshakati, Ondangwa, and Swakopmund to be completed very
soon.
A
sport school/academy is also envisaged to be built in Windhoek.
The
ministry envisions continuation of the existing programmes and activities in as
long as they remain the focal point for youth empowerment through development
and improvement of relevant and marketable skills. In this striving, the
ministry will continue to identify and co-ordinate youth entrepreneurial
training endeavors thereby accessing the youth to market forces, and, in so
doing, make significant contribution to national socio-economic development.
Development
of sport is a never-ending process. Success at one level presents challenges at
the next level. For example, if an
athlete wins at the All Africa Games, his/her next challenge is the Commonwealth
Games, and if he/she is successful at that level, the next challenges become the
Olympic Games. Furthermore, there
is a constant need for grooming new
athletes. Therefore, one never reaches a permanent pinnacle in sport development
– continued striving is essential. Nevertheless, by the year 2030, the
ministry envisions accomplishing the following:
1.
the construction of basic sport facilities at identified strategic
points;
2.
all the regions to have qualified coaches in most of the popular sport
disciplines;
3.
to have an established sport school/academy where talented youngsters
from all over the country can receive professional training in various sport
fields; and
4.
to have reached a stage where national teams are selected on merit and
yet being demographically representative of the Namibia population, without
resorting either to quotas and/or affirmative action.
The
challenges facing the ministry for the next three decades are basically the same
as our Vision 2030 but with only a few additions. The first challenge of this
ministry is to overcome its budgetary constraints.
The ministry is expected to do a lot, but the budget is too small. For
instance, too many talented athletes cannot further their careers because of
financial difficulties, and the ministry would like to be in a position to
assist them with athletic bursaries.
The
other challenge of the ministry is to overcome the problem of lack of staff. The
ministry has one or two staff members in regional offices and it makes it
difficult for them to plan and control activities in their various regions. The
lower grading of staff’s salaries is one of the challenges beyond our control,
but it has forced some of our well-qualified staff members to leave the ministry
for better pay at other ministries.
Another
big challenge facing the ministry is lack of sport training courses. A lot of
courses are accessible in different fields, but so far no efforts have been made
to provide this ministry with sport courses in order to give opportunity to our
staff members to improve their skills. At
least we need to be able to produce our own sport cadres rather than always
depending on foreign experts and volunteers.
Finally the structure of the ministry needs to be revamped to overcome inherited disadvantages that hamper the development of sport in the country.
1. to
receive and disseminate information on local, national and international
resources,
2. to
co-ordinate the activities of the centre with those of the regional office,
youth groups, and
workers
with youth in the region,
3. to
provide counselling services,
4. to plan programmes and activities for
needs and expectations as identified by regional and district offices,
5. to
develop and share resources as needed by the region,
6. to
provide exhibition facilities as needed by the community, and
7. to
provide youth friendly reproductive health services.
Integrated Rural Youth Development Centres
Two centres are being planned, one at Frans
Dimbare in the Caprivi Region, and one at Warmbad in the Karas Region. Aim of
theses integrated rural youth development and environmental centres are to
empower rural youth by providing facilities, services and educational
opportunities. By assisting rural young
people in building environmental awareness, life and vocational skills, and
strengthening families and communities through a participatory development
approach, the ministry's project will lead to greater capacity on the part of rural
youth in successfully addressing their own needs.
Specific objectives for the development of the
integrated rural youth development and environmental centres include:
1.
erection
of buildings for day to day operations of the centres;
2.
procurement
of the necessary technical equipment and teaching aids;
3.
developing
and implementing environmental education programmes as a way of integrating
rural youth into the community-based natural resource management programmes;
4.
providing
rural youth with vocational skills in an informal educational setting, using
experience-based learning techniques, such as, fish farming, animal husbandry,
entrepreneurship, agricultural production, crafts, etc.;
5.
developing
and implementing programmes to assist young people in their finding or creating
own employment; and
6.
developing
and implementing programmes through which rural youth can acquire basic life
skills, such as, health education, leadership training, art and culture,
recreation and sport, etc.
Youth Hostels
The aim of the youth hostels is to provide
short-term, affordable, safe and clean accommodation for local and foreign
young people and to provide accommodation for staff of the ministry during
in-service training courses. These facilities could also be used to accommodate
youth groups and workers with youth during workshops, seminars and conferences
organised by the ministry; and to accommodate both local and international
sport teams.
These hostels would be attached to the regional
multi-purpose youth resource centres to enable rural youth to utilise the
centres’ facilities.
Human Resource
Development
The ministry puts great emphasis on providing
the necessary in-service training to its staff to better their qualifications
and skills. In this regard, training courses are scheduled each year to provide
staff with the necessary skills and work experience. In addition, staff members
are sent on national and international courses as needed.
The objective of the division is to facilitate
youth training and employment and co-ordinate youth entrepreneurship training.
Towards fulfilling this objective, the division carries out a number of
functions as follows:
1.
preparing
the youth for labour the market;
2.
developing
and improving relevant skills to enable youth to enter the job market;
3.
identifying,
facilitating and co-ordinating training needs and employment opportunities;
4.
co-ordinating
and facilitating youth skills training and supervising the smooth running
thereof;
5.
co-ordinating
and facilitating youth career guidance;
6.
planning,
co-ordinating and implementing the National Youth Service Scheme;
7.
co-ordinating,
facilitating and assisting youth in entrepreneurship training programmes; and
8.
providing
the youth access to credit facilities.
Youth Skills Training
To ensure the acquisition and
development of relevant and marketable skills by the youth, the division
strives to:
1. develop,
monitor and evaluate relevant and marketable skills for the youth;
2.
co-ordinate
and mobilise locally, as well as internationally, efforts geared towards skills
development;
3. harness, by
conducting workshops, the latent potential skills that the youth possess; and
4. provide
appropriate information and relevant skills to youth.
Youth Entrepreneurial
Training Programme
To plan, co-ordinate and facilitate youth
entrepreneurial training programmes for unemployed young people, the division
seeks to:
1. identify
training needs of the young people to assist them in setting up business;
2. provide
information and guidance to youth on training and employment opportunities;
3. ensure that young people
who undergo training have access to appropriate credit facilities;
4. co-ordinate
and facilitate community projects;
5.
liase
with Namibia National Chamber of Commerce and Industry and other NGOs on
available
credit facilities for young business people;
6.
keep
up-to-date records on youth enterprise training programmes and ensure that
tracer studies
are
carried out to determine if training provided is responsive to market demands;
7.
monitor
and evaluate the performance of youth income generating projects in progress;
and
8. communicate and co-ordinate
strategies, plans and programmes for entrepreneurial training with line ministries, private sector and NGOs.
Operational Objectives
The division’s operational objectives can be
outlined as follows:
1. to
facilitate youth training and employment through the establishment of youth
skills training centres, and to assist them with finding employment;
2. to
develop relevant skills in conjunction with labour market demand so as to
enable youth access to the job market;
3. to
identify, facilitate and co-ordinate training needs for young men and women
with disabilities and ensure that training and recreational facilities are
built taking their needs into account;
4. to
share gathered information with youth on appropriate marketable skills and
where and how to obtain them;
5. to
assist and facilitate the registration of unemployed youth countrywide and to
pass on such information to the Ministry of Labour;
6. to
establish multipurpose youth resource centres and youth hostels in all thirteen
regions of Namibia, that will serve as educational, recreational and health
centres for young people;
7. to
sensitize both parents and youth on the causes and impact of sexually
transmitted diseases (STDs) and HIV/AIDS, and prevention thereof; and
8. to
provided young men and women with information on their legal rights and to work
closely with the Ministries of Home Affairs and Justice on matters pertaining
juvenile offenders and how best to rehabilitate them.
Directorate Sport Promotion and Development
Most of the objectives for which this
directorate was created for are still valid today and would continue to be
valid for the foreseeable future. The
accomplishment of the directorate’s objectives is a process, somewhat
evolutionary. In a nutshell these objectives are:
1. to
promote and support sporting activities locally and internationally;
2. to
establish basic sport facilities at identified strategic points and to upgrade
existing ones to international standards;
3. to
introduce certain sport-codes into communities where they are unknown;
4. to
ensure that each and every Namibian has the opportunity to practice the sport
discipline of his/her choice;
5. to
monitor the application of statutory provisions in both amateur and
professional sport; and
6. to
promote and, where possible, to provide professional training for sport
technical staff, administrators and officials.
The Directorate of Sport is made up of two
divisions, namely, the Community Sport Promotion Division, and the School Sport
Promotion Division. At the helm of the directorate is a director while deputy
directors head the two divisions.
Namibia
National Sports Council (NNSC), Namibia School Sport Union (NSSU), and Tertiary
Institutions Sports Associations of Namibia (TISAN).
National Sports
Commission
The functions of the commission are:
1. To
advise the minister with regard to any matter on which the minister is required
to consult the commission in terms of
the Sport Act, management and development of sports in Namibia, and any matter
which the minister refers to the commission for its investigation and advice.
2. Subject
to the provision of the Sports Act, to administer the fund.
3. To
exercise control over the participation of any sports person or any national
association in any international sports event.
4. To
exercise control over the awarding of
any national sports colours by any person or national association to any sports
person or team.
5. To
exercise control over the arrangement of any international sports event, any person, or national association.
Achievements
Directorate Youth
Development
The directorate secured a niche for the
ministry in the national socio-economic development through measurable
achievements in the last ten years are as follows:
Establishment of the National Youth Council
The National Youth Council, which is an
independent body, was established by an Act of Parliament to act as vanguard
umbrella organization for youth and youth organizations and to advise the
Ministry of Youth and Sport on all matters pertaining to young people. Its annual budget is fully funded by the
ministry and has certainly succeeded in promoting youth participation in decisions
that affect them. Since its inception,
the council’s executive committee has worked closely with the ministry in
establishing infrastructure regionally to enhance communication between urban
and rural youth. The council also funds
youth income generating projects, annual youth EXPO and other programmes and
activities for the youth. The latest
achievement of the council, in conjunction with its mother body, the Ministry
of Youth and Sport, was the holding of the Second National Youth Conference, from
4 to 6 August 1999.
Youth Skills Training Centres
These centres refer to vocational institutions
targeting unemployed youth and school dropouts with emphasis on those unable to
access vocational training centres of the Ministry of Higher Education,
Vocational Training, Science and Technology.
In other words, these centres act like a “bridge” between the
unemployed, and in most cases uneducated, youth and vocational training
centres. They offer one-year skills training
in carpentry, bricklaying, welding, tailoring, hospitality training and plumbing.
There are currently two of such centres, one at
Kai//Ganaxab in Mariental, with an annual intake of some thirty trainees, and
one at Okahao. Budgetary provision has been made in the next financial year
(2000/2001) for the expansion of the Okahao Centre in order to increase its
capacity.
By the end of 1998, these centres produced
approximately 515 graduates in various disciplines, and the majority of them
were fortunate enough to obtain employment right away. However, Namibia with a small private sector
will be unable to absorb all our trainees, and, therefore, there is a need to
provide to these qualified trainees access to credit facilities for starting
their own business – may be in the form of co-operatives.
With effect from 1 April 2000, additional youth
skills training centres will become operational, one in the Omaheke Region and
the other in the Erongo Region. Erongo Region’s Centre will be a hospitality
training centre, while the Omaheke one will concentrate more on agriculture.
Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Promotion
Programmes
The programmes aim at engaging the youth in
meaningful production activities and income generating enterprises geared to
instil self-esteem and the spirit of self-reliance amongst the youth. So far,
various youth projects have been set up to produce leather products,
agricultural products, and brick making, and to provide eco-tourism and
recreational facilities. With additional funding from NGOs and international
organizations awaited in the next financial year, the idea of youth becoming
their own bosses appears to be paying off.
Multi-Purpose Youth Resource Centres and Youth
Hostels
These facilities bring multi-programmes and
activities under one roof. Four such centres have become fully operational, in each
in the Oshana Region (Oshakati); Erongo Region (Swakopmund), Hardap Region
(Keetmanshoop) and Omusati Region (Outapi). Plans are underway to build similar
centres in all our thirteen regions.
Briefly, these centres offer cheap and
affordable accommodation for young men and women (local and international);
programmes pertaining to youth health, such as, reproductive health, peer
counseling; HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention; juvenile justice programme for
young offenders; income generating activities; and environmental
education. These centres also serve as
conference facilities for the government and the NGOs, including youth
organizations and church groups.
National Youth Service Scheme (NYSS)
This scheme offers an experimental learning
environment for high school graduates and school dropouts (unemployed) and aims
at involving the youth in national economic development. First fifty Grade 12
graduates will complete one year voluntary community service in the year 2000
before joining institutions of higher education in 2001. The second group will include fifty Grade 12
and 200 Grade 10 and school dropouts by September 2000.
While Grade 12 participants are destined for
further studies, those without Grade 12 will join vocational training centres
for two years after completing their one year-voluntary community service. The programme will become permanent once the
piloting currently underway proves its worth.
Directorate Sport
Promotion
Sport Policy and Sport Act (1995)
Before independence there was neither a sport
policy nor appropriate to govern the administration of sport in the
country. As a result, inequalities of
the previous dispensation were quite rampant in sport too. In many instances, some sport-disciplines
were only for the privileged urban elite.
Therefore, a Sport Policy for the Development of Sport for all Namibians
was formulated, followed by the enactment of an Act of Parliament to enforce
it. Ideas behind these legal instruments were to give each and every Namibian
equal opportunity to participate in the sport-code of his/her choice and to
redress inequalities of the past.
Soon after Namibia became independent, the
government, in conjunction with Namibia Sport Council, embarked upon a
programme of training trainers in the various sport-disciplines all over the
country. Much has been achieved; many
sport people in the regions are now exposed to sport-codes that were unknown to
them earlier. Sport-codes like hockey, volleyball, and, to some extent, tennis,
previously known only in urban areas, are now finding expression in the
regions. However great deal still needs
to be done. Again, as with many aspect
of sport, many of them are ongoing projects.
In coaching clinics, teachers and local club
coaches were trained with the latest techniques for the promotion of
sport. Approximately 8500 coaches have
so far been trained through these programmes and there is no doubt that they
are making a difference in our effort for the upliftment of the standard of
sport in the country.
During the last decade, Namibia participated
successfully in many international events. Many individual sport-codes also
participated in many international events. In multi-sport-disciplines events,
Namibia took part in two Olympic Games, two Commonwealth Games, and three All
Africa Games.
Due to financial constraints, only soccer,
athletics, netball and volleyball featured this year. If funds permit, more codes will be added to the list in the
future.
Coaches
The Ministry of Youth and Sport joined other
ministries and government agencies through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in
signing different permanent joint commissions of co-operation on youth and
sport related matters.
On soccer, the ministry has agreement with
Germany allowing Mr. P Ueberjahn, the current coach of the National Team, to be
seconded to this ministry. German football expert will continue to be available
to Namibia on a long-term basis. The ministry has also a very fruitful and
intensive exchange programme in the field of youth football between Namibia and
the Westfalia Regional Association of the German Football Federation.
Pursuant to the Agreement on Economic,
Technical, Scientific and Cultural Co-operation, which provides for the
establishment of a Joint Permanent Commission of Co-operation between Namibia
and Cuba, the ministry recently received two sport coaching experts in
basketball and boxing from Cuba. They
did an excellent job to the development of sport in Namibia. In the same vain, seven sport coaches are
expected to arrive in Namibia from Cuba in the field of boxing, wrestling, basketball,
volleyball and athletics.
The National Sport Commission has successfully
solved the conflicts of different sport-codes.
The commission together with the Ministry of Youth and Sport put up a
National Soccer Team Interim Committee to run the national soccer team’s
activities. The Namibia Football Association today is enjoying a better
administration as a result of the efforts of the ministry and the commission.
In addition, the ministry and the commission
have dealt with similar problems of the Rugby Union and conflict was
successfully resolved. Sport-codes’ problems for the Athletic Union and other
sports disciplines were also handled by the commission.
Namibia National Olympic Committee
The Namibia National Olympic Committee (NNOC)
was established in accordance with the guidelines laid down by the
International Olympic Committee (IOC) which approved the membership of NNOC in
1991. NNOC may receive money or property by way of donation, bequest or in
trust and may control, use or administer it subject to conditions, if any, of
such donations, bequest or trust as long as they are consistent with the aims
of NNOC. Overall, NNOC strives to:
1. ensure the development and protection
of the Olympic Movement and sport in general;
2. observe
and enforce the rules laid down in the Olympic Charter;
3. safeguard
the absolute autonomy of NNOC and to resist all pressures;
5. undertake
the organization of these games when they are held in Namibia;
6. submit
proposals to IOC with regard to the Olympic Charter, the Olympic Movement in
general, as well as the organisation and conduct of the Olympic Games; and
7. collaborate
with private or government bodies to ensure the promotion of a sound sport
policy for Namibia.
NNOC has, together with the Ministry of Youth
and Sport, organised and prepared Namibia’s national teams to participate in
various Olympic Games, Youth Games, All Africa Games, and Commonwealth Games.
Namibia National Sport Council
The Namibia National Sport Council (NNSC) is
the implementing agent of the ministry and the National Sports Commission for
senior sport in Namibia. NNSC was established in March 1990 when Namibia
received its independence. It is one of the partners in Namibian sport and has
a close relationship with the ministry in working at grassroots level. Aims and
objectives of NNSC include:
1. co-ordinating
and promoting sport in Namibia, both amateur and professional;
2. ensuring
that no racial, religious, political or other form of discrimination is allowed
in sport;
3. ensuring
uniformity of national sports emblems, badges, colours and dress and
controlling the awarding, issuing and wearing thereof;
4. promoting
affiliation of its members with international sports bodies;
5. fostering
a spirit of goodwill, equality and fraternity through sport;
6. promoting
national fitness and awareness through participation in sport;
7. facilitating
the participation in sport at club, regional, national and international
levels;
8. co-ordinating
and promoting the provision and availability of sports facilities and equipment
in all areas and to the advantage of all communities in Namibia;
9. improving
the standards of all facets of sport in Namibia; and
10. responding
to any official request from the National Sports Commission.
The affiliated codes of NNSC include:
1. Namibia
Amateur Athletic Union,
2. Namibia
Basketball Federation,
3. Namibia
Billiards and Snooker Association,
4. Badminton
Union of Namibia,
5. Namibian
Body-building Association,
6. Namibia
Bowling Association,
7. Namibia
National Amateur Boxing Federation,
8. Namibia
Canoe Federation,
9. Namibia
Cricket Board,
10. Namibian
Cycling Federation,
11. Namibia
Darts Association,
12. Namibia
Endurance Ride Association,
13. Namibian
National Equestrian Federation,
14. Fistball
Association of Namibia,
15. Namibia
Football Association,
16. Federation
for Fresh Water Anglers,
17. Namibia
Golf Federation,
18. Namibian
Gymnastics Federation,
19. Namibia
Handball Federation,
20. Namibia
Hockey Union,
21. Namibia
Inline Skating Association,
22. Namibia
Jukskei Board,
23. Namibia
Amateur Karate Union,
24. Namibia
Motor Sport Federation,
25. All
Namibian Netball Association,
26. Namibia Power Boat Association,
27. Namibia
Practical Shooting Association,
28. Parachute
Association of Namibia,
29. Namibia
Rugby Union,
30. Namibia
Saddle Horse Association,
31. Namibia
Salt Water Angling Association,
32. Namibia
Sailing Association,
33. Namibia
Service Shooting Association,
34. National
Shooting Union of Namibia,
35. Soaring
Society of Namibia,
36. Namibia
National Softball Union,
37. Namibian
Squash Association,
38. Namibia
Surfing, Water-ski Surfing and Body Board Association,
40. Namibia
Amateur Swimming Union,
41. Namibia
Table Tennis Association,
42. Namibia
Tennis Association,
43. Namibian
Triathlon Federation,
44. Namibian
Tug-of-War Association,
45. Namibia
Underwater Federation,
46. Namibian
Volleyball Association, and
47. Namibia
Amateur Wrestling Federation.
The Namibia National Sports Council can be
credited with a number of successes and can take pride in the fact that:
1. Namibia
attended with great honours the Olympic Games in Barcelona and Atlanta and is
preparing to participate in the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
2. Namibia
participated in the 1995 All Africa Games in Zimbabwe and more recently in the
Seventh All African Games, in South Africa.
3. Namibia
participated in the Commonwealth Games in Victoria, Canada in 1994 and in the
Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1998.
4. Namibia
sent a multi-disciplined team to the Youth Games staged in Moscow during June
1998. During these events, Cecilia Iikango won a silver medal in the 3000m.
5. Without doubt, Frank Fredericks is
Namibia’s most successful and celebrated athletics star with numerous
international medals. He is also currently the 200m indoor world champion.
6. On
the soccer field, Namibia excelled by participating in the Africa Cup of
Nations held in Burkina Faso in 1998. The Brave Warriors played against Angola
in the finals in the COSAFA Cup 1999.
7. Harry
Simon is the WBO World Champion.
8. Bobby
Joe Bassingthwaighte was the first Namibian to swim the English Channel.
Namibia Schools Sport Union
Namibia
Schools Sport Union (NSSU), established on 26 November 1992, is a statutory
body responsible for all the schools sport activities. It receives a grant yearly from the Ministry
of Youth and Sport for schools sport activities. Sport-codes affiliated to the
NSSU include: athletics,
soccer, netball, volleyball, boxing, rugby, basketball, cricket, chess, and
hockey.
NSSU’s aims and objectives include:
1. promoting
all sport-codes in primary, secondary and private schools in the country;
2. developing
specific sporting codes at school level and providing sound basics for future
national teams;
3. developing
schools sport in underdeveloped areas, and creating a balance between different regions;
4. fostering
good relations between learners through participation in sport; and
5. formulating
a code of conduct for school sport.
NSSU’s many successes can be enumerated as
follows:
1. Primary
and secondary national schools teams represented Namibia in different sport
disciplines in international events; one primary school athlete won a gold
medal and three more athletes in athletics received bonze medals.
2. Namibia’s
youth national team participated in World Youth Games in Moscow where Cecilia
Iikango won second place in 3000m and received a silver medal.
3. The
Gothia Soccer Cup matches were held in Gotenborg Sweden in 1998. Six matches were played and Namibia came
second out of fifty-two teams. Quinton
Jacobs caught the eye of expert representatives of Manchester United Football
Club.
4. The
under 17 soccer team visited Westfalia in Germany for a series of games. Many
of these team members represented, through Namibia Football Association (NFA),
in Swaziland.
5. NSSU
hosted Zone VI Sport Competitions in Namibia in various sport-codes.
Tertiary Institutions Sports Association of
Namibia (TISAN)
The Tertiary Institutions Sports Association of
Namibia (TISAN) was established in 1990 and registered with the Ministry of
Youth and Sport and other sports organizations. The association started with
only three members back in 1990, being Windhoek College of Education, Academy,
and Neudamm. Since then the membership has grown to seventeen. These include:
1. Caprivi
College of Education
2. Rundu
College of Education
3. Windhoek
College of Education
4. Ongwediva
College of Education
5. Ongwediva
Vocational Training Centre
6. Valombola
Vocational Training Centre
7. Ogongo
Agriculture College
8. Neudamm
Agriculture College
9. Oshakati
Nursing College
10. Polytechnic
of Namibia
11. Tsumis
Agriculture
12. University
of Namibia
13. Onandjokwe
Nursing College
14. Rundu
Vocational Training Centre
15. Namibia
Institute of Mining and Technology
16. Zambezi
Vocational Training Centre
17. Institute
of Higher Education
Aims and objectives of
TISAN are as follows:
1.
developing,
encouraging and supervising sports for students at tertiary level;
2.
encouraging
sporting competitions amongst members;
3. promoting
the highest standard of sporting achievement, conduct, discipline and
sportsmanship amongst members;
4. developing
contacts with other bodies within Namibia and abroad;
5. allocating
funds;
6. approving
the awarding of sports colours and trophies;
7. regulating
the use of sporting facilities by members in liaison with appropriate
institutions;
8. seeking
recognition as the body representing the interest of sports and members; and
9. ensuring
that no racial, religious, political or any other form of discrimination is practised
amongst its members.
Tertiary Institutions Sports Association of
Namibia has achieved numerous successes as follows:
1. TISAN
games have been presented in numerous codes as follows: netball, rugby, soccer
(1990); athletics, netball, rugby, soccer, basketball (1991), and volleyball
athletics, netball, rugby, soccer, basketball, volleyball, table tennis, tennis
(1992). From 1993 onwards, the core codes were presented with additional codes
as competition demanded.
2. TISAN
is a founding member of the Confederation of University and College of Sport in
Southern Africa (CUCSA) which was established in Namibia in 1990 with three
countries, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. CUCSA now has ten member states.
3. Members
of CUCSA Zone VI are: Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia,
South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
4. TISAN
participated in CUCSA Zone VI held in: Namibia (1990), Zambia, Zimbabwe (1991),
Swaziland (1992), Zimbabwe (1993), Botswana (1994: overall Namibia secured first
position), Namibia (1995: overall Namibia secured first position), Malawi
(1996: overall Namibia secured second position), Zimbabwe (1997: overall
Namibia secured position), South Africa (1998: overall Namibia secured fourth
position), and Zambia (1998).
5. TISAN
joined the International University Sports Federation in 1990 and attended the
Summer Universities (World Student Games) in Sheffield, UK with two
athletes (1991), Buffalo, USA with
fifteen athletes (1993), Fukuoka, Japan with thirteen athletes (1995), Cicily,
Italy with fourteen athletes (1997), and Palma, Spain with three athletes
(1999). At Palma our athletes showed very good progress, with C. Van Wyk
qualifying for semi-finals in 200m.
Since independence, basic sport-facilities have
been completed at Katima Mulilo, Rundu, Opuwo, Khorixas, Mariental, Windhoek,
and Lüderitz. The ministry also expects facilities at Oshakati, Ondangwa, and
Swakopmund to be completed very soon.
A sport school/academy is also envisaged to be
built in Windhoek.
The ministry envisions continuation of the
existing programmes and activities in as long as they remain the focal point
for youth empowerment through development and improvement of relevant and
marketable skills. In this striving, the ministry will continue to identify and
co-ordinate youth entrepreneurial training endeavors thereby accessing the
youth to market forces, and, in so doing, make significant contribution to
national socio-economic development.
Development of sport is a never-ending process.
Success at one level presents challenges at the next level. For example, if an athlete wins at the All
Africa Games, his/her next challenge is the Commonwealth Games, and if he/she
is successful at that level, the next challenges become the Olympic Games. Furthermore, there is a constant need for grooming new athletes. Therefore,
one never reaches a permanent pinnacle in sport development – continued
striving is essential. Nevertheless, by the year 2030, the ministry envisions
accomplishing the following:
1.
the
construction of basic sport facilities at identified strategic points;
2.
all
the regions to have qualified coaches in most of the popular sport disciplines;
3. to
have an established sport school/academy where talented youngsters from all
over the country can receive professional training in various sport fields; and
4. to
have reached a stage where national teams are selected on merit and yet being
demographically representative of the Namibia population, without resorting
either to quotas and/or affirmative action.
The challenges facing the ministry for the next
three decades are basically the same as our Vision 2030 but with only a few
additions. The first challenge of this ministry is to overcome its budgetary
constraints. The ministry is expected
to do a lot, but the budget is too small. For instance, too many talented
athletes cannot further their careers because of financial difficulties, and
the ministry would like to be in a position to assist them with athletic
bursaries.
The other challenge of the ministry is to
overcome the problem of lack of staff. The ministry has one or two staff
members in regional offices and it makes it difficult for them to plan and
control activities in their various regions. The lower grading of staff’s
salaries is one of the challenges beyond our control, but it has forced some of
our well-qualified staff members to leave the ministry for better pay at other
ministries.
Another big challenge facing the ministry is
lack of sport training courses. A lot of courses are accessible in different
fields, but so far no efforts have been made to provide this ministry with
sport courses in order to give opportunity to our staff members to improve
their skills. At least we need to be
able to produce our own sport cadres rather than always depending on foreign
experts and volunteers.
Finally the structure of the ministry needs to be revamped to overcome inherited disadvantages that hamper the development of sport in the country.
opportunities. By assisting rural young people in building environmental awareness, life and vocational skills, and strengthening families and communities through a participatory development approach, the ministry's project will lead to greater capacity on the part of rural youth in successfully addressing their own needs.Specific objectives for the development of the integrated rural youth development and environmental centres include:
1. erection of buildings for day to day operations of the centres;
2. procurement of the necessary technical equipment and teaching aids;