Martin Endjala
The Swapo deputy secretary for education, Hofni Ipinge has called for justice in the dismissal of a school teacher, who was found guilty of meting out corporal punishment last month.
The demand is a response to the firing of Petrus Ndeulita, a teacher at Hashiyana Primary School in Ongwediva.
In 2021, Ndeulita forced a seventh-grade learner to hold a chair over his head for over an hour as a form of punishment.
“I am demanding justice to prevail for this young professional. It is a very bad and embarrassing story in our nation if this is how we are treating each other in the workplace. This worries me much, having fear that teachers are having problems in their working environment because of individual learners,” said Iipinge.
He insists on putting an end to such actions and ensuring a fair process.
“We want to continue to shape our young generation to see the Namibia we want in years to come,” said Iipinge.
He believes that before deciding to fire someone, there are processes and procedures to follow.
Hofni said he is not convinced that what Ndeulita did was corporal punishment but that there is more to the story than meets the eye.
“I want to know the matter wholly and the process that was taken before the firing of the fellow youth by the school principal in charge, school board, inspector of education, director of education of Oshana and public service commission,” demanded Ipinge.
He said the news came as a shock to him.
“This is a very rare case in our republic of dismissing such a young professional who was supposed to grow professionally within the education fraternity. It pains me more as a teacher by profession and I know very well how it feels as a person, victim, family member, community member, and fellow teacher at that school,” he argued.
Iipinge urged parents to raise their children to display respectful manners to elders both at home and in society.
Iipinge declared his solidarity with Ndeulita until justice prevails.
In October 2021, Sanet Steenkamp, the executive director of the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture, wrote to Ndeulita through his school principal, informing him that he had been charged with misconduct.
After formal investigations, Steenkamp wrote to Ndeulita in July, through acting principal Agnes Nghipondoka, informing him that the Office of the Prime Minister, on the recommendation of the Public Service Commission, had approved his discharge from the public service.
A group of northern teachers last week petitioned the government.
The requested lawyer Kadhila Amoomo to take on Ndeulita’s case and have him reinstated.
The group labelled the dismissal as an injustice.
The Revolutionary Union (RU) also demanded the immediate reinstatement of African value systems in schools, which include, among others, disciplining pupils.
“We reject the imposition of rotten Western value systems that are eroding our social fabric and compromising the moral compass of our youth,” read the statement.
RU believes that the current government is recklessly compromising the futures of children in order to appease what it considers to be ‘useless donors’ from Western governments.
“We stand in unwavering solidarity with Petrus Ndeulita, a dedicated teacher who has been unjustly dismissed for fulfilling his duty to discipline a learner in the best interest of their growth and development,” said RU.
RU argues that this act of injustice is not only an attack on Ndeulita but also an assault on the integrity and authority of all educators who strive to shape the future of society.
“The education system, as it currently stands, has declared war on teachers, stripping them of their rightful authority to guide and discipline learners. We call on all teachers to unite and rally behind Ndeulita, for his battle is our battle,” RU said.
In order to ensure learners’ holistic development and protect the nation’s future, the union further demands that teachers must have the authority to discipline students within the framework of cultural values.
“We must all stand together and refuse to teach until our colleague is reinstated. An injury to one is an injury to all. We should not allow the forces of injustice to divide us or undermine our mission to educate and uplift the next generation,” argued the union.
The union urged teachers to never participate in selling out the future of children, instead continuously refusing to be part of a system that ‘grooms criminals and prostitutes’.
