Declining education standards decried
Both the DTA and the Rally for Democracy and Progress have expressed disappointment with the 2016 Grade 10 and 12 pass rates.
The Namibian education system has been labelled as a complete failure by opposition parties who have called for the urgent reform of the education system.
The condemnation follows the recent release of Grade 10 and 12 exam results.
The DTA's education secretary, Elma Dienda, said the results are completely unacceptable for a country which allocated 18% of the national budget towards education in the 2015/16 financial year, saying the public did not receive a real return on this significant investment.
Dienda said when only 37% of full-time Grade 12 candidates attain sufficient points to qualify for university admission then it is clear that the country is faced with a systematic problem.
“Where there are numerous schools across the country where not even one learner is able to attain pass points, is a worrying trend,” she said.
According to Dienda, equity and quality within the Namibian education system remains a huge problem.
She said one only needs to look at the best performing learners and schools to realise that the quality of private schools far outweighs that of public school education.
“This in turn results in unequal access to quality education since only the rich and elite can afford to send their children to expensive private schools.”
She further said that the education system has over 30 000 Grade 12 students that are part-time and only 21 000 that are full-time. This, she added, is clear that the system has failed the Namibian child.
Dienda said the education system is also not a truly Namibian product and does not directly respond to the demands of the local job market.
She said that for many years, Namibia has continued to see over 50% of learners fall out of the system either in Grade 10 or 12 and yet an education system is retained whose primary aim is to produce learners for tertiary education and not to develop skills.
“It is high time there is a clear recognition that the current design of the education system is failing and not serving the youth.”
It is no longer acceptable for the system to produce over 30 000 learners who have failed Grade 12 and do not have technical or other skills, she added.
Dual education system
According to her, the only way to overcome the challenge of having an education system which breeds unemployment is to move towards a formalised multi-layered dual education system which places equal emphasis on vocational and theoretical education. Urgent reform is needed.
The DTA called for a strategic national education conference that would tackle issues crippling the education system.
These include the overhaul and reform of the education system and special analysis of poor performing regions and schools, and identifying the root causes. The conference should also look at the role of discipline in schools and how it affects results, learner-teacher involvement and improving the qualifications of teachers in Namibia.
'Lack of discipline'
Meanwhile, the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP) also slammed the poor performance despite the massive investments that have been made.
According to party's spokesperson, Nghiningilwandubo Kashume, the current Cambridge education system in Namibia is either failing learners or producing functionally illiterate youth.
“If the Namibian system is solid and qualitative then the problem lies with the management, administration and the curriculum development and implementation.”
Kashume said politicians in Namibia know the weaknesses of the current education system and that this is the reason why they send their children to South Africa to follow the very education system that they threw out at independence.
“The RDP strongly believes that under the Swapo-led government which does not shy away from supporting a weak education system that fails thousands upon thousands of Namibian children each year, the nation should not expect Namibia to develop and become an industrialised nation and enjoy peace and stability,” said Kashume.
He said the problem of the education system is compounded by lack of discipline among learners and teachers, insufficient education structures, a shortage of subject teachers and widespread poverty. Moreover, Kashume said the automatic promotion and the lowering of standards of an already weak education system are compounding the
problem.
ELLANIE SMIT
The condemnation follows the recent release of Grade 10 and 12 exam results.
The DTA's education secretary, Elma Dienda, said the results are completely unacceptable for a country which allocated 18% of the national budget towards education in the 2015/16 financial year, saying the public did not receive a real return on this significant investment.
Dienda said when only 37% of full-time Grade 12 candidates attain sufficient points to qualify for university admission then it is clear that the country is faced with a systematic problem.
“Where there are numerous schools across the country where not even one learner is able to attain pass points, is a worrying trend,” she said.
According to Dienda, equity and quality within the Namibian education system remains a huge problem.
She said one only needs to look at the best performing learners and schools to realise that the quality of private schools far outweighs that of public school education.
“This in turn results in unequal access to quality education since only the rich and elite can afford to send their children to expensive private schools.”
She further said that the education system has over 30 000 Grade 12 students that are part-time and only 21 000 that are full-time. This, she added, is clear that the system has failed the Namibian child.
Dienda said the education system is also not a truly Namibian product and does not directly respond to the demands of the local job market.
She said that for many years, Namibia has continued to see over 50% of learners fall out of the system either in Grade 10 or 12 and yet an education system is retained whose primary aim is to produce learners for tertiary education and not to develop skills.
“It is high time there is a clear recognition that the current design of the education system is failing and not serving the youth.”
It is no longer acceptable for the system to produce over 30 000 learners who have failed Grade 12 and do not have technical or other skills, she added.
Dual education system
According to her, the only way to overcome the challenge of having an education system which breeds unemployment is to move towards a formalised multi-layered dual education system which places equal emphasis on vocational and theoretical education. Urgent reform is needed.
The DTA called for a strategic national education conference that would tackle issues crippling the education system.
These include the overhaul and reform of the education system and special analysis of poor performing regions and schools, and identifying the root causes. The conference should also look at the role of discipline in schools and how it affects results, learner-teacher involvement and improving the qualifications of teachers in Namibia.
'Lack of discipline'
Meanwhile, the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP) also slammed the poor performance despite the massive investments that have been made.
According to party's spokesperson, Nghiningilwandubo Kashume, the current Cambridge education system in Namibia is either failing learners or producing functionally illiterate youth.
“If the Namibian system is solid and qualitative then the problem lies with the management, administration and the curriculum development and implementation.”
Kashume said politicians in Namibia know the weaknesses of the current education system and that this is the reason why they send their children to South Africa to follow the very education system that they threw out at independence.
“The RDP strongly believes that under the Swapo-led government which does not shy away from supporting a weak education system that fails thousands upon thousands of Namibian children each year, the nation should not expect Namibia to develop and become an industrialised nation and enjoy peace and stability,” said Kashume.
He said the problem of the education system is compounded by lack of discipline among learners and teachers, insufficient education structures, a shortage of subject teachers and widespread poverty. Moreover, Kashume said the automatic promotion and the lowering of standards of an already weak education system are compounding the
problem.
ELLANIE SMIT
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article