Dear Editor,

The International Herald Tribune also now has a lead story on the Chinese scholarships by Ms Sharon LaFRANIERE.

But the reporter probably needs to go back to school when she writes that Namibia is an impoverished southern African country.  The last time the word ‘impoverished’ meant: “Etymology: Middle English enpoverisshen, from Anglo-French empoveriss-, stem of empoverir, from en- + povre poor — more at poor. It also meant to deprive of strength, richness, or fertility by depleting or draining of something essential synonyms see deplete. She also says one out of six secondary school students go to college?
What are the demographics of Namibia? The population is at 2.06 million, of which how many are above the age of 65. If we tabulate school going children out of this number and then take the +_300,000 employed in the private and public sector, we should be left with a certain number to account for secondary school children (i.e. Grade 10 thru 12). If we factor in the demographics of the Unam and the Polytechnic, surely the equation Ms LaFRANIERE is quoting is wrong. Can someone do these numbers? Thanks for a great newspaper. Keep the fires burning.

Cheers,
Ripuree