Andrew Kathindi
Over 240,000 learners in the Oshikoto, Oshana, Otjozondjupa and Ohangwena region will not be reached by e-learning as teachers scramble for alternative teaching methods, education ministry officials have noted.
The state of emergency that was put in place last month to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 has decimated the school calendar. It has ended face-to-face learning for learners and teachers until August. Since then, teachers have been mandated to reach students electronically through online and social media platforms like WhatsApp.
Last week, education executive director, Sanet Steenkamp said after teachers returned to schools on 6 May, they would be able to produce study material that can be picked up, worked on and then returned by learners who do not have access to e-learning. This option is the only one for the majority of learners.
Otjozondjupa Education Regional Director, Josephine Mutenda explained that only 18,237 out of 50,660 learners have access to devices that can accord them online education, and among the remaining 32,423 are those in villages that do not have the means to come and pick up the lesson study guides.
“We have a 4×4 car based in Tsumkwe. Teachers send this material and they go straight into villages where the learners are. They are busy with the trips and handing over these materials as we speak. I have been informed that every learner in Tsumkwe area has got [learning] resources. They are busy working on it and then will return it. Then that 4×4 car with the teacher and principal will go back into those villages and collect those materials and bring them to the school for assessment,” Mutenda said.
She told the Windhoek Observer that the distribution of the materials into villages was a costly undertaking and costs up to N$5,000 per trip.
Director of Education for Oshikoto region, Aletta Eises said that out of the 71,000 learners in that region, only five percent have access to e-learning as resources are scarce.
“Learners don’t have smartphones or smart devices. 95 percent are making use of booklets. At this point in time, books are going through quality assurance check, Senior Educational Officers are checking to make sure they are at par with the syllabus. We do not want to compromise on quality amidst COVID-19. After the quality check, it’s going to production centers and then teacher resource center, where parents can collect them biweekly,” said Eises.
Oshana education director, Hileni Amukana said the majority of the region’s 54,161 learners in state schools will be reached through the print media as the teachers prepare the materials. Thereafter, it’s taken to the production house and then distributed to the parents.
“This is simply because we are looking at what is permissible in the spread of the virus. The virus might stay on papers or different surfaces. We are not going to collect it from the learners. Parents can keep them for now until the learner goes back to school when the materials will be used for revisions,” she said.
She told Windhoek Observer that the reduced education budget due to free education in Namibia has also impacted schools’ preparedness for e-learning measures.
Although leaners’ access to electronics like computers has always been a perceived problem in Namibia, Amukana said that budgets cut have meant that schools were caught off guard.
“Although you have a reduced budged, you prioritize. But the reduced budget has impacted e-learning. You are given a budget and you have to think, should I buy a laptop or buy textbooks, and if I buy a laptop, how many learners will have access to that laptop? You have to prioritize without compromise on your quality.”
Ohangwena Regional Director for Education, Isak Hamatwi urged parents not to interfere with their children’s learning by doing their work for them as that could hamper the learner’s development.
