Oshana teachers urged to ditch phones during class

Teachers in the Oshana region have been instructed to keep cell phones out of classrooms during lessons as part of efforts to improve discipline and focus.

Oshana regional education advisory committee chairperson Ndali Nenkavu said mobile phones can disrupt a productive learning environment, urging teachers to leave them in staff rooms during lessons.

This directive was shared during the Onamutai circuit management team meeting on Friday in Ongwediva, which brought together senior education officials, including circuit inspectors, principals, and heads of departments.

The meeting aimed to identify challenges contributing to students' underperformance in the region last year.

Apart from the use of phones during classes, Nenkavu proposed that the supervision of teachers be strengthened.

“Teachers are now aware that inspectors do not supervise them frequently, which leads to a situation where every teacher does as they please, often teaching without lesson plans," he said.

"Some teachers prepare lesson plans only after the lessons are complete, and this is unacceptable,” he added.

Nenkavu also addressed inappropriate relationships between teachers and learners, urging teachers to maintain professional boundaries.

He reminded them that such conduct is not only unethical but also a criminal offence.

“How can a student possibly concentrate in class if you share a room with them? Please keep your distance from learners,” he cautioned.

Barriers to top performance

During the meeting, several principals voiced concerns about the lack of science and computer labs in schools, which Nenkavu said he would discuss with Oshana governor Hofni Iipinge.

Nenkavu also highlighted factors such as the high learner-to-teacher ratios, which dilute the impact of lessons.

“I strongly recommend that the ministry of education provide incentives to attract teachers to rural schools,” he suggested.

Nenkavu added that a dire lack of hostels in the Onamutai circuit forces learners to walk long distances to school, while frequent curriculum changes can confuse them.

During the meeting, Daniel Gabriel, principal of Niitembu Primary School, highlighted that two of the four secondary schools in the Onamutai Circuit have only one community hostel, causing learners to seek schools in other regions that have hostel facilities.

“Our top learners are leaving the circuit for other regions and excelling there," he warned.

"We urgently need additional hostels to keep our learners in the circuit and to alleviate the burden of long commutes, especially for day learners,” he said.

Josefat Haimbala, the education inspector for the Onamutai Circuit, announced plans to construct a hostel for Onamutai Secondary School with the capacity to accommodate 600 learners.

He confirmed that all bidding procedures have been finalised, and the project is waiting for the contract award to commence construction.

Haimbala also proposed that the four primary schools in the circuit introduce prevocational subjects such as design and technology and home economics.

He recommended establishing at least one secondary school offering pre-vocational subjects to further train those learners. “This way, even if they do not perform well in other subjects, they will have the skills to start their own businesses utilising their hands-on training from school,” he stated.

Three more circuits are scheduled to host similar meetings, including Oshakati, Oluno and Ompundja circuits.

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