Stefanus Nashama
The Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture has dismissed claims circulating on social media that it requested the deployment of military personnel to replace private security services at schools.
Rumours spread through various WhatsApp groups over the past week suggested that the Ministry of Education had approached the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs to assign Namibian Defence Force (NDF) members to guard schools.
The allegations further claimed the request was awaiting approval.
Speaking to the Windhoek Observer on Wednesday, Sanet Steenkamp, Executive Director of the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture, categorically denied the claims, emphasizing that the ministry would never seek to undermine the military profession by assigning soldiers to guard schools.
“To put it on record, the Ministry of Education, Arts, and Culture did not and never will make such a request to the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs to replace security services at our schools or any of our buildings,” Steenkamp stated.
She explained that the ministry has a long-standing practice of hiring private security services on a three-year contract basis to ensure school safety.
“We have our own mandate, and the Ministry of Defence has its own mandate. We must understand that,” she said.
Steenkamp described the allegations as unfounded and inappropriate, urging the public to avoid spreading misinformation that could create unnecessary panic and confusion.
“We must be careful not to mislead the public with such harmful rumours,” she said.
Defence ministry spokesperson, Colonel Peter Shilumbu confirmed that his office had not received any such request from the Ministry of Education.
“The ministry did not receive such a request, and soldiers are not security guards,” he clarified.
Shilumbu described the allegations as “fake news” aimed at causing panic and confusion among the public.
Shilumbu urged the public to verify the information before circulating it, highlighting the potential dangers of false claims, especially in sensitive areas like national defence.
