'Local expertise at home'
UNAM, WIS collaborate
The University of Namibia’s School of Education, under the Faculty of Education and Human Sciences, and the Windhoek International School (WIS) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote work-integrated learning.This MoU will enable students to conduct their practical teaching and learn international skills and knowledge at the only school in Namibia that offers an international curriculum for primary programmes and International Baccalaureate diplomas.
At the signing ceremony, WIS director Ethan von Drunen said that this MoU will help pipeline teachers from UNAM to WIS for skills development and knowledge transfer.
“I hope through this practicum and international fellowship that students will have a partner and master teacher that can help guide them and have them identify as people that can take risks and try new methods,” Von Drunen said, adding: “We look forward to getting to know UNAM students and having our teachers learn from them”.
Dr Ellen Namhila, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Administration and Finance, on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor, welcomed this venture and emphasized that “this collaboration will allow us to do things in a meaningful way and will create the impact that we want the education system to have”.
She added that this MoU speaks to the core responsibilities of the university – which are to educate and train young people to develop the nation across various sectors and to prepare global citizens.
These sentiments were highlighted by the Executive Dean of the School of Education, Dr John Nyambe, who said that this agreement is unique in the sense that it taps into the international community within Namibia.
“This partnership ties in and stems from the School of Education’s internationalization objective,” he said, saying that the school would normally partner with international institutions to meet this objective, however, with this agreement “we can access international expertise at home”.