‘Prison has been wonderful for me’

Prison inmate Rachimo Haradoëb was one of the 727 students who graduated on 18 August at the twenty-first graduation ceremony of the Namibia College of Open Learning (Namcol).Haradoëb has been in prison for 17 years after he was found guilty of murdering his ex-girlfriend in 1998, when he was 28 years old and working as a teacher.He was sentenced to 35 years behind bars.According to Haradoëb, he will be considered for parole in a few months. "He has been one of the most outstanding students over the years," said Namcol chief executive officer Heroldt Murangi.In 2018, Haradoëb began studying for his local government certificate, which in turn led him to pursue his Bachelor of Arts degree in youth and community development through Namcol."I decided to do the youth and development degree so that I could empower the youth so that they don’t do what I have done," Haradoëb said. Wonderful opportunity "There is still a life out of prison," he said. He underlined that prison is not everything.Haradoëb said that during his time in prison, government invested in him and gave him the opportunity to work on his future. "Prison has been really wonderful for me," he concluded.Further accolades to his name include establishing the first library in prison and teaching offenders to read and write.He has worked with the youth—among those projects has been collaborating with the Break Free anti-violence campaign, spearheaded by First Lady Monica Geingos.Haradoëb has admitted, in previous interviews, to having grappled with an anger management problem, which he said led him to commit his violent crime.As for future plans, Haradoëb plans to finish his postgraduate studies and has applied to Namcol and the International University of Management (IUM).At the graduation ceremony, Murangi also encouraged students pursuing degrees through open and distance learning to stay the course, saying that their hard work will pay off.Namcol Pocket WIFIMurangi provided an update on reports of a pocket Wi-Fi that Namcol students are now required to have, in order to complete their studies.He said approximately 80% of students have paid for the pocket Wi-Fi."There might be a small portion of students that will not be able to afford it," Murangi said. He added that Namcol will investigate how they can accommodate these learners."Going forward we need to embrace technology," Murangi said.He explained that, as an institution for the masses, students cannot be blacklisted.He further added that the best option is for the higher education ministry to consider partnering with service providers and to reach a consensus on supplying learners with the necessary technological means to complete their studies.

‘Prison has been wonderful for me’

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Republikein 2025-09-19

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‘Prison has been wonderful for me’

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