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Drugs, alcohol blamed for Kunene’s struggling schools

Regional director of education Sophia Fredericks has blamed the region’s poor academic performance on the consumption of drugs and alcohol among pupils, as well as teacher absenteeism.

This follows the Kunene region being ranked in 14th position for the second consecutive year in the national Grade 11 results and ninth position in the Grade 12 results.

The region was ranked 14th last year, with only 159 pupils qualifying for AS Level.

“Schools in the Kunene region are challenged with ill-disciplined pupils who are prone to drug and alcohol [abuse] and who do not show up to school because they were busy in bars until midnight,” Fredericks said yesterday.

She further attributed the poor performance to the lack of inspection of teachers which ensures that pupils have adequately covered the syllabus in Grade 10 and have done revision in Grade 11.

She said the director’s office conducted a survey that found that many schools faced a staggering number of dropouts and teenage pregnancies.

“Last year, there were 1 000 dropouts and 225 teenage pregnancies, with the youngest being 13 years old.”

She noted that schools require parents to provide all stationery requirements, while they have procured stationery from the education ministry and the director’s office.

“The blame is not on the government but on school principals that send out a full list to parents when they should only ask the parents when there’s a shortage.”

Fredericks said the region collaborates with the safety and security ministry to patrol the region and ensure that children under the age of 18 years are not found in bars.

There are plans to meet with parents and traditional authorities to come up with ways to combat drug and alcohol abuse among pupils, like extramural activities, she added.

“Alone, as the directive, we cannot do it all. We need the community to ask itself where the pupils get these drugs and if this is the future they want.”

‘FORGOTTEN’ PARENTS

Meanwhile, parents in the Kunene region say they are treated like the ‘stepchildren of the government’ – to which they attribute the region’s poor performance.

Kunene parent Ben Kapi said the government has reduced its support of parents by asking them to buy stationery even when they don’t have the means to do so.

Kapi emphasised that parents who rely on farming to support their children have been affected by the continued drought, while others are forced to sell their livestock.

‘PUNISHMENT FOR MISBEHAVIOUR’

Hai-// Om Traditional Authority councillor John Haneb confirmed that pupils walk long distances to school.

He said parents’ lack of interest in their children’s education contributed to the region’s poor performance.

“Parents are not worried about their children’s homework or what they are doing after school. Children are concerned about smoking and hanging out at bars,” he said.

Haneb said more measures should be put in place to ensure that bars adhere to strict laws against selling alcohol to minors.

He advised parents to form relationships with the school to assess any discipline problems, such as children not attending classes.

“Parents should be more concerned about their children’s education, but if the school says their children were misbehaving, they should let the school punish them by cleaning the classrooms or the school yard.”

Vita Traditional Authority councillor Judithu Muteze said poverty and increased hunger in the region are to blame for the low performance.

“When children are hungry they cannot be expected to do well in school.”

Muteze added that the traditional authorities are willing to sit with parents and the government to find ways to counteract the growing hunger problem among pupils.

Mahongora Kavihuha

DEMORALISED TEACHERS

Teachers Union of Namibia secretary general Mahongora Kavihuha attributed the region’s poor performance to “demoralised teachers who work hard, only to see senior positions, such as principals and school inspectors being filled by people from other regions”.

Kavihuha said the region has experienced a high turnover rate, with teaching posts frequently being vacated. These teachers are replaced by those from other regions, creating instability in the classroom, which affects pupils.

The unionist believes the region should prioritise hiring teachers from Kunene who have the best interests of pupils at heart rather than those simply chasing a pay cheque.

However, he does not support the idea of forcing teachers to work overtime to improve performance rates, insisting that such efforts should be voluntary.

“The union does not agree with overworking teachers, but those who wish to volunteer for extramural activities should be allowed to do so.”

When contacted for comment yesterday, executive of education, arts and culture Sanet Steenkamp referred The Namibian to the regional education authorities.

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