STORY: Namibia official hails China's support in educational infrastructure
SHOOTING TIME: Jan. 30, 2024
DATELINE: Feb. 2, 2024
LENGTH: 00:01:37
LOCATION: Windhoek
CATEGORY: EDUCATION

SHOTLIST:
1. various of schools in Namibia
2. SOUNDBITE (English): SANET STEENKAMP, Executive Director of Namibia's Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture
3. various of the Confucius Institute activities

STORYLINE:

A Namibian official has lauded China's support in the advancement of educational infrastructure within the country, expressing a strong desire to further deepen bilateral ties in the educational sector.

In an interview with Xinhua, Sanet Steenkamp, executive director of the Ministry of Education, Arts, and Culture, highlighted the significant impact of the Chinese government's assistance in the construction of four rural schools in the northern region. She said this support is expected to positively affect local communities by reducing school dropouts and improving the quality of education in remote rural areas.

SOUNDBITE (English): SANET STEENKAMP, Executive Director of Namibia's Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture
"We have absolutely no doubt that the quality of education will improve for these four specific schools. They are all in rural areas and of course, the lives of 1,140 children will be affected all for the betterment of the education. 
We believe that if you want to break the cycle of poverty in your county, the children need not (only) to have access to the school, but to a great quality system of education."

Namibia and China have fostered a longstanding collaboration in the field of education. Since 1994, a total of 389 Namibian students and scholars have been recipients of Chinese government scholarships. The Confucius Institute at the University of Namibia has trained over 7,000 Chinese language learners since it was established in 2013.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Windhoek.
(XHTV)