Constituency plunged into education crisis

The Okakarara Constituency has become a dumping place for learners who perform poorly, resulting in the biggest secondary school in the constituency producing less than 100 pupils who have directly qualified for tertiary education in the past ten years. Among the other critical issues raised by the Okakarara Constituency Councillor, Vetaruhe Kandorozu, are the condition of classrooms, the teacher-learner ratio, the lack of qualified teachers and the slow delivery of textbooks. Kandorozu last Thursday called a meeting with traditional authorities, school principals and community members, where he addressed the challenges in the education sector. “There is an education crisis in the Okakarara community and we need help. The current pace that we are operating at is only contributing to the crime rate, but not to the academic world like other schools,” he said. He said the crisis is prompted by the poor performance of schools in the constituency, in particular the Grade 10 and 12 results.There are five major schools in the constituency, Okakarara Senior Secondary School, Waterberg Junior Secondary School, the Okamatapati Combined School, the Okondjatu Combined School, and Coblenz Junior Secondary School.About 41% of the learners that enrolled for the Grade 10 exams at these schools last year passed.Over the past ten years the Okakarara Secondary School had less than 100 learners that qualified directly for tertiary education. Only one learner from the Okakarara Senior Secondary School passed Grade 12 in 2012 and secured a place at the University of Namibia.In 2013, five learners passed Grade 12 at that school and only three learners last year.According to Kandorozu, the gap between learners that are enrolled in Grade 1 in comparison with those who pass Grade 12 indicate that many learners are dropping out and becoming street vendors, which negatively affects the social and economic wellbeing of the constituency. Kandorozu said information obtained is that learners in the majority of schools in the constituency hardly write class tests, and are not exposed to an examination environment, which means their competencies in terms of the syllabus are barely tested.He said there are limited class rooms available in the constituency, while desks and chairs are broken in classrooms.Ceilings are falling apart and walls are cracked. He also said due to the limited number of classrooms, learners are “jam-packed” into one classroom.Elaborating on the qualifications of teachers, Kandorozu said the constituency has recorded a high number of transfers, contributing to high failure rate in Grade 10 and 12. “Many people regard Okakarara Constituency as the dumping place for all learners who perform poorly at their respective schools and also the safe haven for transfer cases.”Kandorozu said there is a constant delay in the delivery of textbooks and stationery at schools, which negatively affects teachers who cannot complete the syllabus on time, allowing learners enough time to prepare for exams. “The procurement system is bureaucratic and therefore it should be more flexible. Textbooks and stationery should be delivered on time.” Kandorozu said there is lack of co-operation among school management and teachers, and consequently performance is very poor. Another issue raised was the fact that there is a lack of parental involvement in the learners’ education. With regard to the evaluation of teachers, he said although the Office of the Prime Minister has introduced a performance management system for all civil servants, he doubts it will be effective in evaluating the performance of teachers. Kandorozu said the severe mushrooming of shebeens in the town and poor control of the operating hours, and the excessive noise close to schools is another challenge that has to be taken into account. A mass meeting will take place next month, where teachers and the public will further address these challenges and a position paper will be presented to key stakeholders, including the Office of the Prime Minister, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the Ministry of Education and the Otjozondjupa Regional Council. WINDHOEK ELLANIE SMIT