Martin Endjala
The Oshikoto regional education director, Aletta Eises was accused of deliberately orchestrating the exclusion of six teachers from the Oshigambo High School from being part of the team that will mark the 2024 national examination for the Namibia Senior Secondary Certificate Advanced Subsidiary (NSSCAS) and the Namibia Senior Secondary Certificate Ordinary Level (NSSCO).
The school principal, Pinhas Ekongo, said he only found out about the exclusion when questioned by the National Examination and Assessment (DNEA) on 23 July.
Teachers from other schools at the time received their approved forms, but none from Oshigambo received recommendations for marking.
“I write to draw your attention to the deliberate and unjust exclusion of six teachers from the process established by the Directorates of DNEA for appointing markers for national examinations. This exclusion was orchestrated by the Director of Education, Arts, and Culture, Oshikoto Regional Council,” he said in a letter.
The six teachers are Makarius Kalimbo Iipinge, Twamangu Iileka, Toini Ndokosho, Lukas Haitota, Rauha Shipindo, and Pius Leonard.
Nghipandulwa Tena, the head of regional examinations in the Oshikoto region, confirmed that the director’s instructions prevented the processing of the applications, according to Ekongo.
Enkono claimed that the school and the directorate’s unresolved administrative issues led to the issuance of this directive.
According to him, investigations revealed that the application forms reached the DNEA head office with a cover letter from Eises recommending excluding all Oshigambo High School teachers.
“This outcome is a clear result of the unethical conduct of the director, Eises, who unjustly discriminated against teachers uninvolved in administrative disputes,” he argued.
He said the school has consistently contributed to the academic excellence of the Oshikoto directorate, adding that the exclusion of its teachers is demoralising and detrimental to its staff, students, parents, and the government.
He stated that addressing this issue is crucial to maintaining educators’ morale and professional growth.
“The exclusion impacts our teachers’ professional opportunities and income for the next three years due to standard procedural delays. Therefore, immediate intervention is necessary,” the principal argued.
Ekongo requested an immediate investigation into the exclusion of the teachers to ensure their inclusion in the marking process based on their past participation and performance and rectify the procedural irregularities to prevent future occurrences.
Eises explained that the normal process is for all teachers who wish to participate in the 2024 national examination marking to apply. The successful candidates are then selected.
“Examination markers apply annually from all 14 regions, and from all 229 schools we have in the Oshikoto region, who are teaching grades 11 and 12 are applying,” she said.
Eises said that in March, before the applications, she met with the school board, the ELCIN church, and the management.
She said that their memorandum of understanding serves as a guide and does not align with the Ministry of Education’s standards. They also told her not to meddle in OSH matters, so she didn’t sign the MoU.
“I am employed under the recruitment policies of the ministry as the director of education in the region; I am the one who must implement the policies, directors and circulars of the ministry. So, what does it mean if people express themselves like that? I cannot put my signature on documents from that school because it indicated it would not follow the ministry’s regulations,” she argued.
She said that when she received the school’s applications signed by the ministry executive director, she wrote to the ED, notifying her of her reasons for not signing.
She said she has been calling for the school to put its papers in order, but to date, nothing has happened.
“The school must respect the Education Act, and they must be clear-minded, they can’t be saying we won’t do this, but then you sent applications to the director to sign off,” she said.
She further explained that the four teachers were absorbed not due to NANTU interventions but because of a meeting she held with the ED last Tuesday in Windhoek.
She said that even though the process had already ended, they still needed markers in some areas, so they decided to include the four OSH teachers.
“I signed the approval of the four teachers on 24 July. So it was not about NANTU interventions,” she explained.
She also expressed concerns about the directorate’s sole control over the staff, with the exception of the principal, who the church appointed.
