Packed classrooms hamper learning
Teachers in the Ohangwena Region are teaching classes of up to 50 learners following the unexpectedly good grade 10 pass rate of last year.
The approved maximum number is 40 learners in a class.
At the beginning of this academic year, Ohangwena's education director, Isak Hamatwi, confirmed to Namibian Sun that he was battling to place grade 11 learners.
He said the region promoted 3 154 learners to grade 11, but only 2 750 learners could be admitted according to the approved 1:40 ratio of one teacher per 40 learners.
A school principal in the region told Namibian Sun that all grade 11 classes in the region were overcrowded.
Learners are sharing chairs and desks and teachers are finding it hard to cope.
“The region sent us these children but they did not provide us with extra chairs and desks for learners. Some learners spend the whole class standing or seated without desks,” the source said.
“Teachers move around in the classroom to monitor learners and they cannot give enough attention to each learner. The situation is also frustrating to teachers. How do you expect learners to perform well in a situation like this?”
Hamatwi confirmed this and said the region was doing everything possible to improve the situation.
Earlier he had told Namibian Sun that the region had 404 learners that could not be placed. However, they squeezed them into already over-enrolled schools.
They had no option but to increase the teacher-learner ratio in secondary schools to 1:44, 1:45, 1:46 and even 1:47 just to make sure that all learners were placed.
He said even after adjusting the ratio, there were still 160 learners without places.
They were sent to Shituwa Senior Secondary School, where the principal, Hendrick Nghinyengwasha, was not ready to receive them and sent them home until he could make provision for them. Usually this school only enrols 120 learners, but this year it had to squeeze in the extra 160 learners too. These learners returned to class on 23 January.
“We are assessing this situation and one of the possible alternatives is to remove some of the grade 8 learners from senior secondary schools. We are planning to dedicate 60% of our directorate's 2017/18 development budget to the construction of a full-fledged junior secondary school at Eenhana to house grades 8 and 9 only, so that Eenhana Senior Secondary and Haimbili Haufiku Senior Secondary will only teach grades 10, 11 and 12,” he said. Hamatwi said this was in line with ministry plans that should be implemented by 2020.
The approved maximum number is 40 learners in a class.
At the beginning of this academic year, Ohangwena's education director, Isak Hamatwi, confirmed to Namibian Sun that he was battling to place grade 11 learners.
He said the region promoted 3 154 learners to grade 11, but only 2 750 learners could be admitted according to the approved 1:40 ratio of one teacher per 40 learners.
A school principal in the region told Namibian Sun that all grade 11 classes in the region were overcrowded.
Learners are sharing chairs and desks and teachers are finding it hard to cope.
“The region sent us these children but they did not provide us with extra chairs and desks for learners. Some learners spend the whole class standing or seated without desks,” the source said.
“Teachers move around in the classroom to monitor learners and they cannot give enough attention to each learner. The situation is also frustrating to teachers. How do you expect learners to perform well in a situation like this?”
Hamatwi confirmed this and said the region was doing everything possible to improve the situation.
Earlier he had told Namibian Sun that the region had 404 learners that could not be placed. However, they squeezed them into already over-enrolled schools.
They had no option but to increase the teacher-learner ratio in secondary schools to 1:44, 1:45, 1:46 and even 1:47 just to make sure that all learners were placed.
He said even after adjusting the ratio, there were still 160 learners without places.
They were sent to Shituwa Senior Secondary School, where the principal, Hendrick Nghinyengwasha, was not ready to receive them and sent them home until he could make provision for them. Usually this school only enrols 120 learners, but this year it had to squeeze in the extra 160 learners too. These learners returned to class on 23 January.
“We are assessing this situation and one of the possible alternatives is to remove some of the grade 8 learners from senior secondary schools. We are planning to dedicate 60% of our directorate's 2017/18 development budget to the construction of a full-fledged junior secondary school at Eenhana to house grades 8 and 9 only, so that Eenhana Senior Secondary and Haimbili Haufiku Senior Secondary will only teach grades 10, 11 and 12,” he said. Hamatwi said this was in line with ministry plans that should be implemented by 2020.
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