Discrimination in education

This week Namibian Sun carried two depressing stories on the state of education, particularly in the Omusati Region, where learners basically attend school for fun. We also highlighted the issue of the financial problems facing many of the schools in Omusati, with teachers using their own money to pay for teaching aids and field trips, among others. We are pretty sure that this situation is not only limited to the Omusati Region and that many schools countrywide are also adversely affected by the late disbursement of the Universal Primary Education (UPE) and Universal Secondary Education (USE) funds by the education authorities. The director of education in Omusati, Laban Shapange, has confirmed that hundreds of pupils are only able to complete schooling up to the junior primary phase, as government has failed to extend the curriculums at their community schools, because there is no money. It is imperative that education programmes should inspire hope for a better future for our children. But this is not what is happening on the ground when it comes to these kids who now grow up with no proper education or skills. Both learners and teachers, who are already burdened by the vicious cycle of poverty, have lost hope in the education system, which is still showing appalling weaknesses. At the end of the day this appears to be the workings of a socially segregated system where the poor government schools are left to fend for themselves with little support from the state, while the schools for the elite and middle class continue to flourish. If government as the custodian of education is unable to spearhead a dramatic turnaround strategy to equalise education and the school infrastructure, then our children are doomed. What is needed is a social agenda that fights poverty and inequality, and a superior, efficient education system, which will be evidence of the caring attitude government has for Namibian people, especially the most vulnerable like our children. It is unacceptable to see children of school-going age unable to attend school at all because the system has failed them completely. If we are serious about the future of this country and hope to continue the transition to better living standards, we need drastic action, driven by all key stakeholders to improve the quality of our education. No one should be left out!