Page 26 - UNAM Executive Annual Report 2018

• TOPSOIL Project - This is a project to the value of N$ 400 000.00 funded by the University of Bremen. It is
implemented in collaboration with the University of Bremen to improve food security for smallholders in the
dry Southern African climate.
• Bush-to-Feed Project - The Finnish Government and RUFORUM fund the project to the value of 14 000.00 Euro
and 300 000.00 USD respectively. The project utilizes encroacher bushes as feeds by processing them into
fine best and pelleting them to feed ruminants.

Members of staff were also in community engagement activities. The activities varied from consultancies,
research, and extension services to the community by providing information and support about vegetables, rice
and fodder production. The Campus also organized an Annual Campus Career Guidance Day, and attended
career fairs at various towns to market the programmes of the Campus. Some members of staff served as
external moderators, and on the Omusati Communal Land Board and Namibia Training Authority respectively.

Academic Activities
Faculty of Education

The Faculty of Education aspires to serve the educational needs and aspirations of Namibia by contributing to
the achievements of the goals of access, equity, quality, and democracy, as stated in the goals of education
in Namibia.
The Faculty continued to focus on:
• Spearheading the development of the Profession of Education in the service of the Nation.
• Preparing teachers at all levels, including community educators in the Department of Life-long Learning and
Community Education.
• Undertaking basic and applied research in education and other areas.
• Establishing links with national and international academic professional institutions in the interest of the
students and education.

One of the highlights of the Faculty during the period under review, was the awarding of an Honorary Doctorate
in Education by the University to Sister Atiogbe during the graduation ceremony at the Southern Campus. It was
a highlight, as this was the first time that an Honorary Degree was awarded to someone in the Faculty. It was also
the first time that the Southern Campus graduated its first B.Ed and Diploma in Junior Primary Education students.

The Faculty was also active in undertaking research. The Post Graduate Studies Committee approved 41 research
proposals for M.Ed and PhD students in the Faculty of Education during the reporting period. The Faculty also
graduated 32 Masters and one PhD student. The Faculty continues to face challenges in graduating adequate
teachers in National Languages, namely, Otjiherero, Khoekhoegowab, Thimbukushu and Rumanyo. The same
situation applies with San Languages and Setswana, two languages not currently offered by UNAM due to lack
of staff capacity in these languages.

Faculty staff members jointly with colleagues from the Namibia University of Science and Technology are
conducting research titled: ‘Namibian Boys’ Underachievement in Education.’’ Funding for this research project
was secured from the University of Namibia Centre for Research and Publications. The Project is ongoing, and
will continue in 2019. The year 2018, saw the end of the second phase of the Chinese-Funds-In-Trust Project. The
Faculty of Education has successfully concluded all assigned activities under the Project, and has presented a
final report in Addis Ababa to the Funding Agency. The Faculty is working with UNESCO to secure funding for
the third phase. The Project aims at building capacity for quality teacher education and preparation. Faculty
staff are collaborating with UNESCO on a global study on Early Childhood Education. The focus is on a survey on
teachers in Early Childhood and Pre-Primary Education abbreviated as STEPP.

Senior Professors in the Faculty of Education served as Editors for the Journal of the International Association of

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