WINDHOEK, June 20 — A cohort of 408 young people from all the 121 constituencies of the 14 regions of Namibia have been attending the country’s national service training program free of charge, said a statement released Monday.
The 13th Intake of the National Service Training, which is sponsored by the National Youth Service (NYS), commenced on June 17 at the Rietfontein Training Center in the Otjozondjupa Region, in continuation with the NYS mandate of offering civic, technical, and vocational training, personal development programs and opportunities for voluntary services to the youth.
“For Namibia to accomplish its developmental goals, priority should be given to interventions geared to youth empowerment, to equip them with the required skills to contribute to nation-building,” said the Chairperson of the Otjozondjupa Regional Council Marlyne Mbakera.
Mbakera said the service training introduced by the government through NYS aims “to mold the youth to be of good character, by encouraging values of patriotism, discipline, nationhood, and commitment toward Namibia’s development.”
Upon successful completion of the first phase, recruits will transit to the second and third phases, which are voluntary services and vocational and technical skills training, respectively, according to Mbakera.
Humphrey Mutumba with the NYS said voluntary services offer the youth opportunities to participate in projects of national importance, while vocational and technical skills training aims at equipping the youth with technical vocational skills for economic development.
The training program lasts for six months.
Since its inception in 2008, the training program has trained 5,400 youth in national service or civic training. (Xinhua)
