Failing in the starting blocks
One fifth of the country's Grade 1 learners have had to repeat their first year of school over the past seven years, while 30% of Grade 5 to 8 learners have repeated grades during the same period.
These were just some of the shocking statistics revealed yesterday by basic education minister Katrina Hanse-Himarwa at the start of the three-day National Integrated Early Childhood Development Conference in Windhoek, where she confirmed that the Grade 1 repetition rate has stood at 19.8% to 21% for the past seven years.
Hanse-Himarwa also expressed concern over the worrying dropout rates in the country.
About 30% of learners leave school in Grade 10, while 6% to 7% of Grade 9s and 8% of Grade 8s are dropping out of the school system.
Other issues haunting the Namibian child include being denied access to education because they don't have birth certificates.
Many disabled children are not identified early enough to receive the necessary early interventions, and children from poor communities go to early childhood development (ECD) centres with empty stomachs.
A United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) analysis in 2015 found that 103 768 school-age children were not in school and that 99 200 others were at risk of dropping out.
“These risks related to lack of parental support, learner pregnancy, distance from home and school, poverty and unemployment, learning difficulties, grade repetition, disabilities and a lack of water and sanitation,” said Hanse-Himarwa.
According to her, a team has been established to make schools more child friendly by implementing the National Safe Schools Framework and reviewing the Integrated School Health Policy. The minister warned, though, that coordination could only be improved if quality data was made available to enable better resource allocation.
She said the education ministry was prioritising pre-primary education and therefore allocated N$52 million to the regions for the expansion of pre-primary facilities.
In addition, close to N$2 million was allocated for purchasing teaching and learning support resources for special schools.
She urged closer relationships between stakeholders in order to effect a smooth transition from early childhood development to pre-primary and Grade 1.
According to Hanse-Himarwa, access to ECD education has been expanded from 17 000 children enrolled in the 2011/12 financial year to more than 40 000 enrolled this year.
Although the coverage is not yet half of all eligible five- to six-year-old children, the ministry remains committed to achieving 80% access to pre-primary education.
“We do not understand that investing at this early stage of life is rewarded by the creation of a society that is healthier and more equitable.
“Yet, despite the overwhelming evidence, investments in early childhood development remain insufficient. This critical area should become a national and global priority,” she said.
JEMIMA BEUKES
These were just some of the shocking statistics revealed yesterday by basic education minister Katrina Hanse-Himarwa at the start of the three-day National Integrated Early Childhood Development Conference in Windhoek, where she confirmed that the Grade 1 repetition rate has stood at 19.8% to 21% for the past seven years.
Hanse-Himarwa also expressed concern over the worrying dropout rates in the country.
About 30% of learners leave school in Grade 10, while 6% to 7% of Grade 9s and 8% of Grade 8s are dropping out of the school system.
Other issues haunting the Namibian child include being denied access to education because they don't have birth certificates.
Many disabled children are not identified early enough to receive the necessary early interventions, and children from poor communities go to early childhood development (ECD) centres with empty stomachs.
A United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) analysis in 2015 found that 103 768 school-age children were not in school and that 99 200 others were at risk of dropping out.
“These risks related to lack of parental support, learner pregnancy, distance from home and school, poverty and unemployment, learning difficulties, grade repetition, disabilities and a lack of water and sanitation,” said Hanse-Himarwa.
According to her, a team has been established to make schools more child friendly by implementing the National Safe Schools Framework and reviewing the Integrated School Health Policy. The minister warned, though, that coordination could only be improved if quality data was made available to enable better resource allocation.
She said the education ministry was prioritising pre-primary education and therefore allocated N$52 million to the regions for the expansion of pre-primary facilities.
In addition, close to N$2 million was allocated for purchasing teaching and learning support resources for special schools.
She urged closer relationships between stakeholders in order to effect a smooth transition from early childhood development to pre-primary and Grade 1.
According to Hanse-Himarwa, access to ECD education has been expanded from 17 000 children enrolled in the 2011/12 financial year to more than 40 000 enrolled this year.
Although the coverage is not yet half of all eligible five- to six-year-old children, the ministry remains committed to achieving 80% access to pre-primary education.
“We do not understand that investing at this early stage of life is rewarded by the creation of a society that is healthier and more equitable.
“Yet, despite the overwhelming evidence, investments in early childhood development remain insufficient. This critical area should become a national and global priority,” she said.
JEMIMA BEUKES
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