Education Reformation?

The Deputy Minister of Educaion visited Luderitz on July 8th to meet with principals, board members, teachers, students and parents to discuss the quality of education received in Luderitz and what can be done to improve it. Schools from Rosh Pinah were also represented and considered in the discussions.
This was the seventh week of travelling for the ministry, as they had been all around the country to every region consulting with different sponsors. This way the Minister of Education could find out what Namibians think of the education system first hand. They had an outcry about the education system not producing what it should despite the millions invested in it, so decided to take action. It was stated that the blame game was over and that the ministry is now serious about education and believe that consultation is important. A change of attitude is needed in learners, teachers and parents.
From 10am the Deputy Minister and his colleagues held a meeting with grade 10 and 12 students from Luderitz Secondary School, school board members and parents to hear their opinions. One parent stated that she thought Maths and English were of a low standard and they need more attention, a Diaz Primary School representative is concerned about the number of qualified teachers at government schools.
Another complaint was that the Regional Office for education is in Keetmanshoop, and they need help closer to Luderitz.
The parents and board members were then asked to leave so the deputy minister could hear the students’ views. A grade 12 student requested the need for more practical science experience, and felt that smaller numbers of learners in a class will improve grades. Various other learners brought up the following views: School fees are too high, at N$500 a term and then examination fees have to be paid on top of that which can be up to N$700. Only a few parents are interested in the school, teachers don’t care when learners are sick and miss projects, syllabuses weren’t completed before it was time to sit exams, the attitude of teachers isn’t positive and they’re not interested in the students and lastly, teachers who leave mid-term disrupt learning and affect exam results. To close the meeting the Deputy Head Boy did a vote of thanks.
Once the meeting with the students was completed the grade 12 learners were taken to discuss university schemes and bursaries they were eligible for.
In the teacher’s session the Deputy Minister, Dr. David Namwandi was introduced with flourish as a lifelong learner, who is still studying now for his second doctorate. Dr. Namwandi told the teachers that they’re looking to improve the education system. He declared that to teach is to do a wonderful thing and that the government is very proud of them, because everybody’s blaming them when they’re not always to blame. He said they must know when to accept the blame as professionals, and there must be no more sabbaticals, selfishness and jealousy. He believes society has lost respect for teachers and that needs to be restored, as well as finding a lasting solution to the National education problem. He commented on performance, commitment and self-respect, condemning drunkenness, ‘horizontal engagements’, relationships with students and beating students. The teachers were also informed that this is the first time since Independence that the Ministry of Education has visited schools to glean their opinions on the system.
The teachers thought that everyone should take a portion of blame for the standard of education: themselves, the government, learners and parents should be blamed for the success rate. The delegation from Rosh Pinah stated finding accommodation is hard because of the expense. More accommodation is currently being built to curb this problem. Teachers are not respected and all they get is negative feedback, as people just look at the pass and fail rates and blame the teachers. Syllabuses do not correspond with the questions asked on exam papers. There is no apparatus, material or workshop provided for practical subjects. Materials often arrive late. One point that caused some disagreement among the teachers was that Principals and teachers should be rotated and not stay at the same school for too long. A suggestion was that there should be a course for teachers to study their specialisation from grade 1-12 so as to make them more versatile.
There was a big discussion about the current system of learners being promoted to a grade they haven’t really qualified for. They don’t repeat the grade they failed but are just transferred to the next one which they are then expected to pass. This means children in high grades still have problems like very low reading levels. A teacher with a wealth of experience expressed her concern and suggested something different needs to be done with the slower learners. She also complained about the five year late assessment forms and thinks there’s a problem with the administration. One school has only just received their textbooks, which were ordered last year, with one more term to go.
The panel then spoke with the school principals and heads of department to discover what issues they currently have with the education system. The Deputy Minister of Education took note of all the issues raised throughout the day and promised to assess and act on them in due course. Participants appeared to be grateful for the opportunity to air their grievances with one of the top men and hope to see positive changes in future. To end the day there was a rugby match between Luderitz Secondary School and Christiana School from South Africa which the visiting team won 40-15.•