Of the 31 493 full-time Grade 10 candidates from 510 schools who wrote the Junior Secondary Certificate exams this year, only 14 335 managed to score the required 23 points or more and a minimum of a F grade in English to proceed to Grade 11.

That is 419 students more than in 2005 but still a "slightly poorer performance in 2006 if compared to 2005", according to the Directorate of National Examinations and Assessment.

The Directorate falls under the Ministry of Education.

It said that the number of candidates who qualify for admission to Grade 11 in 2007 could increase, depending on the number of part-time candidates who qualify for admission to full-time schools.

About 2 700 part-time candidates are expected to qualify for admission to full-time Grade 11 in the new academic year.

According to the Ministry, cumulative percentage data supports the view that the performance of full-time candidates this year is "very similar" to 2005, as 92,8 per cent were graded against the 92,5 per cent last year.

"However, if the 2005 and 2006 results are compared at the higher (Grades A and B), intermediate (Grades C to E) and lower (Grades F and G) grades ranges they show that there was a slight shift in the percentage of candidates obtaining higher grades to those obtaining lower grades.

This is an indication of a slightly poorer performance in 2006 if compared to 2005," the Ministry said.

It said those who failed must go to the Namibian College of Open Learning (Namcol) or approach the vocational training centres for alternative learning.

The part-time Grade 10 candidates also failed to impress this year.

The percentages of graded entries at most of the grades were lower and 2,6 per cent more entries were ungraded than in 2005.

"This shift is a reflection of a poorer performance in 2006 than in 2005," the Ministry said of the part-time results.

They mainly write via the Namibian College of Open Learning (Namcol).

Of the 12 593 students who enrolled for the part-time exams this year, 87 per cent were graded, compared with 89,6 per cent last year.

The directorate said the part-time candidates were like the full-time candidates under-performing at the higher grades (Grades A to C).

The results will be available from this morning at the Ministry's regional offices and exam centres, and also on the Directorate's website (www.dnea.gov.na )

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