Ministry of Education – Windhoek Observer

03 Dec

LPM calls on learners to seek remedy in courts over exams suspension

ObserverObserver MoneyArts and Culture, Bernardus Swaartboi, Landless People’s Movement (LPM), LPM’s leader, Ministry of Education, Sanet Steenkamp

Eba Kandovazu THE Landless People’s Movement (LPM) says it is prepared to support parents and guardians of Grade 11 and 12 learners who intend to legally challenge the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture. This about this ministry’s decision to cancel examinations and have them re-written next year after question papers were leaked in the Oshana region. Yesterday the ministry announced that three police cases have been opened and ten suspects subsequently arrested. Executive Director (ED) in the ministry, Sanet Steenkamp, says eight of the suspects were released on bail while two, foreigners, are still in police custody. Only visually…

07 Jul

Schools to re-open August 4

ObserverObserver MoneyArts and Culture, Ministry of Education

Staff Writer Schools meant to resume face-to-face learning later this month will now start their classes on 4 August, the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture has revealed. All learners from pre-primary to Grade 9 and Grades 10 to advanced subsidiary learners (AS) who were to start classes on 26 July and 19 July respectively, will now be back in classes on 4 August, despite President Hage Geingob last week warning that according to expert opinion, the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic could yet reach its peak in August. “Expert projections and simulation tools indicate that the rising incidence…

27 Apr

Tightening of teaching requirements mooted

ObserverObserver MoneyArts and Culture, Ministry of Education

Andrew Kathindi and Rose-Mary Haufiku The Namibia National Teachers Union (Nantu) says the proposed regulatory body for teachers will address a deficiency in the quality of teaching in the country. During his state of the nation address recently, President Hage Geingob stated that to address the plight of the youth, Government will “establish a Teachers’ Professional Regulatory Body to improve the quality of training of Educators and prescribe minimum standards for the Profession.” Nantu, Secretary General, Loide Shaanika, said “Yes. In fact, those are some of aspects. We need to look at how to improve the standards in providing quality…

21 Apr

Boarding, High schools fingered for spiking COVID-19 cases

ObserverObserver MoneyArts and Culture, Covid-19, Ministry of Education

Kandjemuni Kamuiiri Boarding and high schools have been fingered as the main culprits in the spread of Covid-19, amid a spike in learner cases, the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture has revealed. “We want to determine why there is such a high spike in the number of learners, because we find that it’s mostly in boarding schools. But we also want to see what it is that the schools are doing right and what it is that they need to improve,” the Ministry’s Executive Director (ED), Sanet Steenkamp, said adding that disregard for COVID-19 regulations was found to be…

10 Mar

Education ministry faces 5124 classroom backlog

ObserverObserver MoneyArts and Culture, Ministry of Education, Sanet Steenkamp

Maria Hamutenya The Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture Executive Director (ED), Sanet Steenkamp, says the continued growth in the student population has resulted in a classroom backlog of 5 124 classrooms nationally. According to the ministry’s figures, as of 2019, the 14 regions had a total of 26, 090 classrooms, of which 22, 461 are permanent classrooms, 1 426 prefabricated classrooms from non-conventional material, and 2003 traditional structures constructed by the parents or by the school and 200 higher classrooms all together. “The backlog is also considering the growth in the learner population of at least three percent per…

14 Jan

Thousands of learners become pregnant during lockdown

ObserverObserver MoneyCovid-19, Education Minister Anna Nghipondoka, Ministry of Education

Andrew Kathindi The Ministry of Education has revealed that 3,629 school learners became pregnant since March last year when schools were forced to close due to COVID-19 lockdown regulations. Education Minister Anna Nghipondoka argued that this reality was partly the cause for the Ministry’s stance on the re-opening of schools. The figure is over two thousand more school learners than the entire 2019, which recorded 1,542 pregnancies of school going girls. “The number of learners who get pregnant within the time frame of closure and re-opening doubled the normal numbers. I'm just trying to re-emphaize the importance of reopening schools.…

16 Sep

Education ministry still in repetition conundrum

ObserverObserver MoneyArts and Culture, Ministry of Education

Helena Johannes The Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture is yet to pronounce itself on the matter of learners repeating their grades next year should they fail their end of the year assessments. This comes after certain learners, particularly those in Khomas region, have not received any face-to-face teaching since schools were first closed during the state of emergency proclaimed by President Hage Geingob in March, with classes having only resumed this week. Acting Director of Programmes and Quality Assurance at the Education Ministry, Ayesha Wentworth said the constant U-turns made by the Ministry since the beginning of the pandemic…

04 Sep

Education, NANTU in compromise deal …as private schools stick to initial dates

ObserverObserver MoneyCovid-19, Khomas, Ministry of Education, Namibia National Teachers Union (NANTU)

Andrew Kathindi In last ditch effort to avoid a stalemate, the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture and Namibia National Teachers Union (NANTU) have struck a compromised deal. The final agreement between the Ministry and Union contains terms they previously found undesirable. Education minister Anna Nghipondoka, following negotiations over two days between her office, the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) and NANTU, announced that grades 7-9 will return to school in all regions on the 7th of September. The Khomas region is not included in this opening date. Grades 4-6 will reopen…

31 Jul

Nghipondoka draws the line ahead of announcement

ObserverObserver MoneyArts and Culture, Ministry of Education

…as teachers unions meet Andrew Kathindi The Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture has maintained its announcement on the final stage of the resumption of face to face teaching on Friday will not be swayed by teachers unions. This comes as the ministry and unions have found themselves on opposing ends on various occasions when it comes to class resumptions, with the Namibia National Teachers Union (NANTU) and other unions held up in consultations Thursday, amid indications that they want to call for the suspension of all face-to-face teaching. The final phase of face-to-face teaching includes the grade 8 to…

22 Jul

Erongo teachers, learners defy ministry directive

ObserverObserver MoneyCovid-19, Ministry of Education, NANTU

Andrew Kathindi Teachers and learners in the towns of Walvis Bay, Arandis and Swakopmund have defied the Ministry of Education’s directive for schools to reopen this week for face-to-face learning for grades 11 and 12. This comes after Windhoek Observer reported that schools in the regions were unlikely to open after the Education ministry and the Namibia National Teachers Union (NANTU) failed to reach a consensus on the modalities of returning to schools, due to concerns over the rising cases of COVID-19 in the region. It appears the Ministry may have overestimated the level of united positions amongst all schools…