CubaMinrex. Sitio del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Cuba

Graduation of learners who attended the “Yes, I Can” Cuban Literacy Programme.

NAMIBIA, August 30TH, 2010.- The graduation ceremony of 107 learners benefited with the “Yes, I Can” Program took place yesterday morning at the U.N. Plaza Hall in Katutura. The event was presided over by Claudia Tjikuua, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education; Josea S. Udjombala, Director of Education in Khomas Region and Beans U Ngatjizeko, Director of DOE at the Ministry of Education. Antonio Pubillones, Charge d’ Affairs of the Embassy of Cuba and Carmen Petersen, Third Secretary in charge of Consular Affairs, participated in the event on behalf of the Embassy of Cuba.

The ceremony was also attended by members of DAE Head Office at the Ministry of Education, representatives of DAE regional staff and promoters and learners from the Khomas region, as well as other invitees.  

On the Namibian side, Josea S. Udjombala, Director of Education in Khomas Region and Beans U Ngatjizeko, Director of DOE at the Ministry of Education welcomed the positive result of the Yes I Can program and made reference to the excellent relation of friendship and cooperation between Cuba and Namibia and underlined the effectiveness of the program in reducing illiteracy rates in young and adult people. They also highlighted the assistance of the Cuban specialists in the training of officers and promoters from the Ministry of Education to be able to cope with the characteristics and demands of a program taught through video lesson. They promised to go ahead with the program and take it immediately to Omaheke, Kunene and Otjozondjupa, regions with the highest rates of illiteracy in the country at present. They also congratulated the learners for the important achievement.

On the Embassy side, Pubillones thanked the Ministry of Education, promoters and the Cuban experts for concluding the first step of the long way still to be gone through in the effort to eradicate illiteracy in Namibia and called upon all of them to continue to strive for pursuing the program in each and every region where need it. He elaborated on how and when the Yes I Can program came into life and highlighted that around 4 million in more than 40 countries have learned to read and write as part of the program. He congratulated the learners for having attained their goal and called upon them to continue to study to be good professionals in the future and help the social and economic development of their beautiful Namibia. He also underlined, among other things, that Cuba will always be in the position to assist Namibia and any other country in the world in struggling against illiteracy.

Learners showed their happiness for the opportunity they were given to learn how to read and write in English, a learner from Nathaniel Maxuilili Center read a letter addressed to the Cuban Ambassador in Namibia, expressing her gratitude and her recognition of the quality of the program., Mr. Martin Imene and Ms. Desderia Nghitoolwa gave their testimony as promoters stating their satisfaction for the accomplishment of their task. Ms. Nghitoolwa was excited because none of her learners dropped out during the three months the course covered. Learners and promoters received certificates for the successful achievement of their tasks, handed over by the Cuban specialists helped by the representatives from the Cuban Embassy and the Ministry of Education in Namibia.

(Cubaminrex - EmbaCuba Namibia)