Staff Reporter
THE Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture has taken note of an article written by a “concerned individual” circulating on social media, which expresses “alarm” and alleges that a significant number of 2024’s top 20 learners are children of high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Education.
The author specifically implicated senior officials in the Directorate of National Examinations and Assessment (DNEA).
In response, DNEA Director Clementine Garises issued a point-by-point rebuttal of the allegations and expressed the Ministry’s full support for the requested investigation. She invited the concerned individual or group to conduct it while the candidates in question are still available, along with the schools, which maintain records of their academic performance throughout their formal education.
“The Ministry has nothing to hide,” she said, adding that DNEA staff, under her leadership, are ready to cooperate with any investigation team assigned to the inquiry.
The complainant expressed alarm that “a significant number of the top 20 learners” are children of high-ranking Ministry officials. Garises dismissed the claim, stating that only three children of two head office staff members were among the top 20 candidates.
She said, “It is not wrong for the children of senior staff members to excel in education. In fact, the Ministry and the Namibian nation should encourage all children, including those of staff members, to perform well academically.”
Garises also rejected claims that the children of Ministry leaders consistently dominate the top positions.
“Does the complainant believe that three candidates are dominating the top 20 list? Using the word ‘consistently’ suggests a trend of more staff members’ children reaching the top 20 list every year, which the Ministry is not aware of.”
She added that the schools these candidates attended have performance records from previous grades, which can be reviewed to verify whether these candidates were top performers at school or only excelled in national examinations.
Garises dismissed as baseless allegations of “malpractice, including potential access to exam papers by insiders,” stating that national examinations are conducted under strict rules and regulations.
“As the Director, I can confirm that no top-performing students had access to the papers in advance. Even I, as Director, do not have access to the question papers, which are printed and received in sealed, tamper-proof envelopes, packed by region. The DNEA does not print the question papers; they are printed outside the country and delivered already packed per centre and per region in plastic-wrapped boxes.”
The article also alleged a possible conflict of interest involving the Minister’s relatives after the Minister publicly praised her nieces, Anna Twapewa and Twahafa Negumbo, who are among the top learners.
Garises responded that praising a candidate, whether related or not, is a form of motivation.
“In our view, the Minister was transparent in her speech and openly acknowledged that the Negumbo girls are her relatives. The Minister praised her relatives, as she has done for other candidates as well.”
The complainant further alleged corruption at DNEA, stating that Jolisa Garises, who ranked first in Grade 11 at Rukonga Vision School, is the daughter of “Mr Gariseb, a senior official in the Directorate of National Examinations and Assessment.”
According to Garises, the claim is false.
“The DNEA does not have any staff member, including a senior official, by the name of Mr. Gariseb. The only staff member with the Garises surname is the Director, and I declare that Jolisa Garises is not my daughter but my husband’s niece. My husband’s family members have the right to excel too.”
The complainant also alleged corruption in admissions at Rukonga Vision School, claiming that it was intended to serve learners from disadvantaged families but is now populated by children of high-ranking Ministry officials who can afford private education.
Garises said: “I, Ms. Clementine Tsumis (marital surname Garises), Director at the DNEA, hereby clarify that I am not the mother, nor am I related to Jolisa Garises, the top performer in the NSSCO 2024 national examinations. I do not know Jolisa’s parents. None of my children or relatives have attended Rukonga Vision School. Should all children with the Garises surname now be assumed to be mine?”
The complainant demanded a thorough investigation into how “these learners, primarily children of Ministry executives, ended up dominating the top rankings.”
Garises welcomed the demand, stating that the schools attended by these students are open and can provide their academic performance records over the years, which should serve as a starting point for the investigation.
She emphasized, “The Ministry is open to any investigation, but since this article is publicly available and includes the names of the learners, once the facts are clarified and the allegations proven false, we demand a public apology to clear the names of both the candidates and the staff members mentioned in this article.”
