Pupils relish once-in-a-lifetime experience

Learning outside the classroom provides learners with opportunities to enrich their educational careers by exposing them to real life experiences. However, children in rural areas are rarely exposed to the world, apart from what they are used to.

To expose children living in rural areas to different and exciting educational experiences to enhance their studies, the office of the Hardap governor organised a tour for the learners of Samuel Veldskoen and Mukorob Primary School from Kriess and Amperbo respectively in the Gibeon constituency to Lüderitz in the //Kharas region.

The objective of the tour was to expose the learners to a world outside their environment that can contribute to their future career paths for them to positively contribute to the development of the country as well as for them to understand their cultural heritage and where they come from.

During the four day trip, the group which was accompanied by the Hardap governor, Reverend Salomon April, four teachers and staff from the office of the governor, visited the Auta !Naseb building, the Neckartal Dam, Namport, different fishing companies, historical landmarks such as the Diaz Point, Shark Island, historical graves as well as the hot springs in //Ganigobis. The learners were also taken on a boat cruise.

Before embarking on their tour to Lüderitz, the learners paid a courtesy visit to //Kharas governor Aletha Fredericks.

Welrichia Salomon, a grade 7 learner at Samuel Veldskoen Primary School in Kriess settlement said she learned a lot on the tour, especially about the history of the Nama people. “I saw the Nama traditional medicine and also the weapons that were used during the war with the Germans at the Keetmanshoop Museum. This trip will help me advance in school as I have learned a lot. The highlight of the trip was when we went on the boat cruise,” said an excited Salomon.

“I am very happy because I got an opportunity to see Lüderitz. The first thing I saw was the beach and the entire town itself. I am really thankful for the opportunity. I like the visit to the fishing factory the most where I saw how fish is prepared,” said Ina Stephanus, a learner at Mukorob Primary School.

Hans Rooinaise, a teacher from Samuel Veldskoen said the trip was very beneficial as the learners were exposed to things they only see on television and in their textbooks. The trip was also beneficial for further study guidance and career choices.

“Kriess where I am teaching is a rural place, most of the time the learners are not exposed to places such as the sea. Now the learners will be excited to hear about the things they saw on the trip such as the different mountains and the ocean, this is the benefit of taking learners from one environment to another. In the classroom, it’s mostly theory but outside is more practical,” he added.

Being a former teacher and director at the Heritage Council of Namibia, governor Salomon April’s experience played a crucial role to ensure that the learners got the correct information about the heritage and history of the Nama people and first-hand experience of the life outside their villages.

The trip was sponsored by various businesses in the Hardap and //Kharas regions, the directorate of education as well as the Lüderitz Town Council.