Staff Reporter
FOLLOWING the poor performance of grade 11 and 12 learners in the 2022 academic year, President Hage Geingob has instructed the education ministry to improve its communication with all stakeholders.
Following a meeting up with the relevant key players in the education sectors, Geingob suggested different solutions such as increasing educational infrastructure and further training of teachers to solve the issue.
In a statement, the president said that the Ministry should be supported by all relevant role players to ensure the full implementation of the short-term remedial measures.
Geingob specified that there must be a provision of additional classrooms and rehabilitation of dilapidated education infrastructure, targeted funding for the procurement of temporary structures to ensure every learner and teacher have a classroom for teaching and learning as well as procurement of adequate teaching and learning resources.
The president also said that teachers are to be offered adequate support through continuous professional development and other means.
In addition, Geingob suggested an accelerated recruitment process for all personnel as per the schools’ establishment and development and implementation of regional and school-based academic improvement plans amongst others.
One of the key emphases the president made is that learner repetition should be carefully considered based on the merits of each learner’s case, and that the Namibia Open College of Learning (NAMCOL) should be available to accommodate learners willing to upgrade their subject symbols.
“Repetition in formal schooling should therefore only be considered where necessary and for learners aged 18 years and younger,” he said.
According to Geingob, the concluded 2022 National Conference on Education (NCE) provides a holistic picture of the challenges that the education sector in general is faced with and further advances recommendations for redress. It is incumbent on the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture, together with the key ministries, to expedite the finalization and costing of the Implementation Plan of the NCE and ensure its full implementation. Implementation of the NCE recommendations will undoubtedly yield improved academic results for Namibia.
Insofar as the debate on the learners’ performance is concerned, the President cautioned against blame shifting, where he affirmed the commitment of the Government of the Republic of Namibia to delivering quality education for the Namibian Child, by undertaking continuous improvements and interventions.
The President concluded by encouraging the Ministry to improve communication with stakeholders and all citizens to enhance awareness and understanding of the intricacies of the revised curriculum and the interpretation of the teaching and learning results. The President finally emphasized that delivering quality education remains a shared responsibility that requires the collective involvement of all key role-players, including the Learner, Parents and Educators.
Photo: Namibian Presidency
