In the past 14 years Namibia’s education system has undergone a transformation so sweeping that it could be described as extraordinary. Since gaining independence from South Africa in 1990, this young nation in Southwestern Africa has gone from an apartheid educational model that served only the privileged few - and even those students were racially segregated - to a structure that welcomes all children into integrated classrooms.

The Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU) has said that it accepts government expropriation of farms must take place, but that they remain confident that a consensus on land reform will be reached between the Government, themselves and the farmers. The comments follow notices delivered by the Government to 19 farm owners, advising them that their land had been identified for expropriation and that they should 'come and negotiate the sale'.

An estimated 21 000 Namibian children lost one or both their parents last year alone, the majority of which were Aids-related deaths.

Germany has rejected calls to pay compensation for the killing of thousands of Namibia's ethnic Hereros during the colonial era. The German ambassador to Botswana told a gathering of Hereros in northern Botswana that Germany deeply regretted what he called "this unfortunate past". However, he said it was not prepared to offer reparations.

Namibia held its third local government election on May 14, 2004. The entire process proceeded without major controversies, and was pronounced as having proceeded in a free and fair atmosphere, all political players and actors therefore accepted its outcome. It later turned out that voters in some local authorities were disturbed by the fact that leaders of their parties altered the compositions and sequences of list of candidates that emerged from the party primaries for these elections.

If land redistribution is defined as the transfer of commercial farmland from whites and foreigners to black Namibians, the available evidence suggests that present policies are leading to about 1% of commercial land being redistributed every year. At this rate it will take another 40 years before half of Namibia's commercial land lies in black hands.

Although the Namibian government is against the institutionalisation of orphans, some orphanages, or rather houses of safety, have sprung up to provide accommodation for needy children in the interim. With the Namibian population not too keen to foster orphaned children due to mainly financial difficulties, the kids need to be accommodated somehow. The extended family, many agree, remains the best choice to keep the orphans within the family set-up, but for the same reasons of resources, houses of safety and orphanages, where they collaborate with the line ministries, are necessary, some say.

Low levels of formal education and lack of workplace training are to blame for the spiralling unemployment rate among Namibia's youth, a new study has found. Young people accounted for 60 percent of the unemployed, according to research conducted by the Labour Resource and Research Institute (LaRRI). The 2002/03 survey of the country's labour market put overall joblessness at 34 percent, with young people under the age of 25 most affected.

The Namibian Agricultural Union (NAU) has sought to allay fears that the country is heading for a Zimbabwe-style fast-track land reform programme. This follows a second round of letters notifying farmers that the government intended to purchase their land under its reform programme and was willing to pay "just compensation".

The ratification of the protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, is one of three strong motions that was tabled by both ruling and opposition parties in Parliament on Tuesday.

Minority racist white commercial farmers trying to distort the facts on Namibia's land reform programme to the outside world, will face far reaching consequences, President Sam Nujoma warned last night. Addressing the nation on national television, Nujoma said the land question was sensitive and, if not handled carefully and maturely, will have far reaching economic and political consequences. Reacting to a recent meeting of a group of white farmers who vowed to fight the unlawful expropriation of farms, Nujoma said expropriation will go ahead "in the public interest" and in line with relevant laws and procedures.

The ratification of the protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, is one of three strong motions that was tabled by both ruling and opposition parties in Parliament on Tuesday.

The odds remain stacked against many girls in Namibia when it comes to getting an education, the United Nations Children's Fund said in a report on Namibia last year. But how extreme the difficulties can be that face an education-hungry girl may be revealed in violent detail later this year in the murder trial of a man who is accused of killing a young female relative - all because of her wish to get a school education.

The Global Environment Facility (GEF), through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has allocated 350 000 US dollars (N 2,2 million dollars) to strengthen national protected areas in Namibia.

Some 200 Angolan refugees began the journey home on Tuesday from Namibia, the first of some 10,000 displaced who are to return in the coming months, UN officials said. The Angolans will cross the border on Thursday to return home to the southern province of Cunene, UNHCR official Esegiel Xamseb told AFP by phone from the Osire refugee camp, north of Windhoek. Some 90,000 refugees from countries neighboring Angola are to return home in May and June as part of a second wave of repatriations organised by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and Angolan authorities.

Women were, once again, winners in the Local Authority elections: their representation has increased by some two per cent - excluding the Grootfontein results. An initial study of the results revealed that women gained 123 seats of 283 countrywide - up to 43,4 per cent from 41,3 per cent during the last elections. Of the 123 seats for women, Swapo won 78 for its candidates, the DTA 18, Congress of Democrats 14 (their Lüderitz candidate excluded), UDF nine, National Unity Democratic Organisation (Nudo) three and the Civic Association of Henties Bay one.

SWAPO has increased its control over Local Authority councils countrywide by three, up from 26 to 29 out of 44 - but had to endure defeat at some towns where the ruling party's head office had forced candidates onto supporters. Following Friday's election, Swapo controls 29 councils, the United Democratic Front (UDF) two and the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA) one, while 14 councils did not achieve an absolute majority for any party.

The Namibian government has taken the first steps in its plan to acquire white-owned farmland. At least three farm owners are reported to have received letters asking them to enter into negotiations for the purchase of their land. Earlier this month President Sam Nujoma said some "racist" farmers had been mistreating their black workers. Namibia has hosted advisers from neighbouring Zimbabwe to help plan the redistribution of farmland.

Two months ago, the DRC School Project and Community Centre was nothing more than a great idea on paper, an idea aimed at satisfying the needs of the growing informal settlement on the outskirts of Swakopmund. For the past six weeks or so, about 20 DRC community members have been volunteering their services on a daily basis to help establish what they call "the pride of the settlement". "We are here because we want to help the kids. There is a very big need for this kind of facility in our community as the parents do not have money to send their children to school," say Kandali Nikanor (24) and Hilma Paulus (20).

Public hearings on the Child Status Bill are set to start next week. The Bill was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Human Resources, Social and Community Development in March after serious controversy arose during the second reading debate, especially on rights to custody and children born from rape. The Bill seeks to grant equal rights to all children irrespective of whether or not they are born within marriage.