Our education is in trouble

Today many Namibian families will be rushing to buy a newspaper and find out how their loved ones faired during the 2016 Namibia Senior Secondary Certificate Ordinary Level examinations.

As is customary, the ministry of education announced the general results yesterday and despite a slight increase in the pass rate, a sombre atmosphere prevailed during the announcement.

The results continue to disappoint.

A pass rate of a mere 37% is really not worth celebrating.

The authorities are equally frustrated by this uninspiring performance judging by the tone of the minister Katrina Hanse-Himarwa.

The 37% pass rate is way below the 45% target, which was set by the ministry of education, and judging by the recent showing, it really remains to be seen whether this target will be realised in 2017.

For now the education system is a step away from crisis.

It is true that our education system has been plagued by a number of challenges over the years and it is also true that the quality of teaching continues to be problematic at many government schools.

We remember vividly when government implored teachers to upgrade their qualifications a few years ago.

Most teachers heeded this call and took advantage of available programmes to equip themselves with the necessary skills.

Although this might have yielded positive results, it is aggravated by the fact that the system was now flooded with a large number of unqualified teachers. The reality is that schools are now faced with the dilemma of using unqualified teachers instead of sending the pupils home because of a lack of teaching staff.

To be honest some so-called unqualified teachers have impressed, but there is a fear that that the influx of educators without any specific professional knowledge might lead to an overall decline in educational standards.

We must have honest discussions about the future of the Namibian child and having too many unqualified teachers in classrooms is not a blessing for our education system.