Taking stock of 2020

There is no denying the fact that 2020 was a challenging year for us all. The COVID-19 pandemic has forever changed the way we go about our daily lives, conduct business and plan social gatherings. We are still getting used to the "new normal" and it is going to take time, but we need to acknowledge the efforts we have made to curb this pandemic and be thankful for good leadership in these trying times.

This year was particularly difficult for the education system in our country. With all the schools being shut down for close to 6 months, it is the parents who felt the most pressure by having to keep their children positively occupied at home. This, combined with the challenges of working from home and the shortage of school textbooks to study from, was not an easy feat to achieve. We salute all parents, who despite their lack of any teaching background, tried their best to provide their children with some form of a daily learning routine.  

At the same time, Namibia Publishing House together with Macmillan Education Namibia would like to thank all teachers who worked hard to ensure learners do not lose this time, but with dedication prepared weekly lessons and worksheets for their learners to continue studying at home.

The COVID-19 learning and studying situation has highlighted the dire need for more textbooks in our schools to enable learners to use their time at home productively. We at Namibia Publishing House would like to thank the parents, family members and anyone else who showed their support by purchasing a textbook for a child in need during this year.

At the same time, the challenges experienced have opened the door for e-learning to become the long-term solution education needs in times like these. We believe that the future of publishing industry in the country lies in digital publishing. However, we understand that, currently, only a handful of our schools have the resources to facilitate e-learning. Macmillan Education Namibia together with Namibia Publishing House are working hard to be able to cater for the emerging e-learning market and provide our textbooks in print as well as in the digital format as the needs of our schools change over time.

On this note, we would like to wish all Namibian educators, parents and learners a peaceful and healthy festive season, enjoyed responsibly, so that we may all return to our roles in the New Year refreshed and ready to tackle any challenges it may bring.

We also wish that Year 2021 will bring with it a much needed economic recovery, good governance and entrepreneurial efforts to help our country overcome the setbacks of COVID-19 to become stronger, more developed and self-sufficient.

We look forward to seeing you all in January 2021 to help build our nation on SOLID FOUNDATIONS!

COVID-19 and e-learning

There has been a lot of confusion and uncertainty created in the education of our future leaders, that is the young generations that are currently stuck at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic this year. As the Ministry of Education Arts and Culture explores various options to providing these learners with some form of teaching during this difficult time, it is clear that this situation has resulted in a dire need for change in the education system in the country. One of the proposed solutions is the adoption of e-learning, at least for the Secondary Phase learners, that is Grades 8-12. But are we, as a nation, ready for such a leap?

It seems that, throughout the world, where e-learning has been introduced in higher education, students may struggle with:

• lack of discipline to self-study regularly
• lack of face-to-face interaction with their lecturers and other students
• poor internet access, affecting students' participation in online learning
• access to technology that enables students to participate in online learning in the first place
• staying engaged with their learning material
• staying motivated to learn.

In a country like Namibia, where more than half of the learners come from disadvantaged backgrounds; where many schools do not have computer labs, reliable internet access or even electricity; where learners live in remote areas without network coverage, it will be unfair to expect teachers and learners to be able to adopt e-learning from the word "go".

Learners and teachers who are not used to using technology on a daily basis in their classroom or home environment will find it difficult to adjust to the new model of learning and teaching that the government would like to adopt. 

However, given sufficient training and time, e-learning has great potential to become part of the blended teaching solution, offering learners benefits such as:

• customised learning experience
• ability to learn at own pace, rereading content to grasp concepts taught or fast-forwarding through the material already learnt 
  
• learning critical thinking, problem-solving, research and analytical skills
• flexibility to adapt in the fast-changing world we live in. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has created an opportunity for innovative solutions to teaching that once adopted will be here to stay. It is important that all stakeholders, including the educational publishers, engage in open communication with the Ministry of Education Arts and Culture about the challenges ahead of us and how to overcome them, and are on board with the choices made. 

Sufficient time for conversion of materials for digital delivery is crucial as is compliance with the copyright laws and regulations the digital delivery of materials entails. The transition to online learning should be gradual and planned well in order to make it accessible to all and thus allow all Namibian children to reach their full potential, regardless of where in the country they are.

We are open again!

Dear Valued Customer,

Namibia Publishing House and Macmillan Education Namibia are open again for business. We acknowledge the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic poses to education in the country and work hard to provide the necessary support to our educators.

You can visit us during our regular opening hours from 8 a.m to 4 p.m. from Monday to Friday.

To ensure safety of all our visitors, please take the following precautions when entering the building:

    1. Wear a mask.

    2. Allow staff to perform a temperature check using a no-touch thermometer:

• Temperature reading < 37.3 °C: You will be allowed into the building.
• Temperature reading > 37.3 °C: You will NOT be allowed into the building.

    3. When entering the building:

• Sanitise your hands immediately upon entering.
• Complete visitor’s register, stating your name and contact information.

     4. Adhere to social distancing rule of 1.5 metres when at the premises.

Thank you for your cooperation.

We look forward to welcoming you.

NPH and Macmillan Education Namibia Team

Our Operations during the COVID-19 Lockdown

In order to comply with the government lockdown due to COVID-19, Namibia Publishing House and Macmillan Education Namibia will remain temporarily closed for the public until the lockdown is over. 

However, our devoted team of publishers and marketers, still continue their operations working from home. We are available if you need our advice on e-learning and coping with the challenges the pandemic poses to homeschooling.

Please do not hesitate to contact us for further support on:

+264 81 162 5310.

Let's work together to ensure that our learners do not miss out on their learning during this pandemic.

Happy 2020, Namibia!

Namibia Publishing House and Macmillan Education Namibia Team are pleased to confirm that we are back from the holiday break and open for business as usual.

We would also like to take this opportunity to wish all our partners in Education a productive and prosperous 2020!

As the new school year has just started, we are busy with deliveries of our approved materials to bookshops and Waltons' branches across the country. 

Our Marketing Team will soon be visiting schools, promoting our latest additions to the Government Catalogue, so keep an eye out for them!

NSSCO Gap Submissions 2019 - a total success for NPH!

We are extremely pleased to announce that our list of approved materials for Grades 10 and 11 NSSCO level now includes the following titles in Oshikwanyama, Oshindonga, Otjiherero and Office Practice:

• Solid Foundations Nongonona Elaka Ondodo 10 fiyo 11 Embo lOmuhongwa loNSSCO
• Solid Foundations Nongonona Elaka Ondodo 10 fiyo 11 Ewilikimbo lOmuhongi loNSSCO
  (Both written by Vilima Ngonyofi Haukongo and Julius Kuhatumwa)

• Solid Foundations Pyokola Elaka Ondodo 10 sigo 11 Embo lyOmulongwa lyoNSSCO
• Solid Foundations Pyokola Elaka Ondodo 10 sigo 11 Ewilikimbo lyOmulongi lyoNSSCO
  (Both written by Rachel Nandjembo, Rakel Ndeshimona and Emilia Nyau)

• Solid Foundations Omukambo mOtjiherero NSSC Embo rOmuhongwa 
• Solid Foundations Omukambo mOtjiherero NSSC Embo Evatere rOmitiri 
  (Both written by Nathaniel Kaunomuinjo Mbaeva, covering syllabus for Grades 10-12)

• Office Practice Keyboard Layout

Look for them at our book store, local book shops and Waltons' branches across the country!

Coding Week 2019: Augmented Reality and Books

Mr Detlef Pfeifer, Goethe-Institut Namibia, explaining
Augmented Reality Concept

The Goethe-Institut Namibia, in collaboration with Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST), University of Namibia (UNAM) and University of Applied Sciences known as Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft (HTW) in Berlin, hosted a project on coding at the beginning of May this year to create Smartphone Augmented Reality (AR) Apps that will bring five Namibian books to life.

Namibian Magic by Corrin-Del Klopper

One of the books selected for this project was a publication of Namibia Publishing House Namibian Magic by Corrin-Del Klopper. Students from the above-mentioned institutions worked very hard to create augmented realities for a Smartphones App that can be used to enhance the reading culture and experience of books written for Namibian children.

A team students working on Namibian Magic

Augmented Reality is created through images and animations that are regarded as extensions of the book. Using Augmented Reality is as simple as downloading the app from the App Store for Apple users or Google Play Store for Androids. The user has to start the app by scanning through pages of the book to activate the interactive and digital content on the Smartphone. The app is developed in four languages namely: Oshiwambo, English, Khoekhoegowab and German, therefore the user can activate the language that they are more comfortable to use. As the Head of Library and Information at Goethe-Institut Namibia, Mr Detlef Pfeifer, said, the project does not only promote a reading culture and preserve the use of books among the Namibian children, it also gives young coders the opportunity to gain experience. He further explained, “This coding week will challenge our students, not just in terms of time, but creating the ideal interface for a user to effectively engage with the digital content and experience the Augmented Reality App with pleasure.”

Five groups consisting of 24 Information and Communication Technology students from NUST (12), HTW Berlin (6), and 12 language students from UNAM competed from 29 April to 03 May 2019 to produce augmented reality books in Namibia. The best three Apps for the project will be presented by one of the members from each group at the International Conference on Culture and Computer Science in Berlin. 

The young coders from NUST, UNAM and HTW Berlin participating in the project

NPH is proud to be part of this innovative project as applying the concept of augmented reality to books, in particular children’s books, makes reading more interactive and relevant to the minds of the children and will encourage them to read more.