Education: MPs fall short on coming up with answers

MINISTER without Portfolio Ngarikutuke Tjiriange says he is against children being forced to learn the Afrikaans language at school.

Speaking on the state of education during a discussion in the National Assembly on Tuesday, Tjiriange claimed that a number of high schools, particularly in Windhoek, were disadvantaging pupils who had no aptitude for or had not previously learned Afrikaans, by forcing them to take the subject. “I don’t hate Afrikaans.I don’t want my Afrikaans-speaking colleagues to think I’m against Afrikaans but I’m against the force,” said Tjiriange.”I’m not saying the language should not be taught.”Tjiriange questioned why these schools did not rather offer children the choice of studying their indigenous home language.The Namibian schooling system requires high-school students to study at least two languages, one of which must be the national language, English.”Why should a child be forced? Show me a child from the white community studying Otjiherero, but my child’s forced to do Afrikaans.I’m really bitter about it,” said Tjiriange.Former school inspector and MAG parliamentarian Jurie Viljoen asked Tjiriange whether it would improve the state of education in the country if Afrikaans was no longer taught in schools.Tjiriange responded that he was not of the opinion that Namibia’s education system was being compromised as a result, but that he was opposed to forcing children to study something they didn’t want to study.The state of education in the country was put up for debate last week when the National Assembly resumed.Since then, scores of parliamentarians have pointed out what they perceive to be the shortcomings in the system, but very few have suggested remedies.Minister of Regional and Local Government, Housing and Rural Development John Pandeni said he felt parents should play more of role in their children’s education, especially before they reach the formal schooling system.Pandeni said teachers were needed who put education before their own needs.”We are looking for the type of teachers who do not put salaries at the forefront but the learners,” he said.Pandeni added that more teachers should be willing to teach in rural areas, where the quality of education paled in comparison to urban areas.Elma Dienda of the Congress of Democrats said she thought prospective teachers had to be screened before starting their studies.”Teachers are becoming teachers because it’s a job, no longer a calling.Every Tom, Dick and Harry is becoming a teacher these days,” said Dienda.She said it was not the schooling system that was the problem but whether children were being taught properly.The UDF’s Michael Goreseb agreed that the school curricula had been localised, so the system could not be blamed for pupils’ poor performance.Both he and Swapo MP Reggie Diergaardt said they thought schools lacked proper advice and supervision from the Education Ministry’s inspectorate division.Nudo’s Arnold Tjihuiko said in his view, a lack of planning was at the heart of all education woes in Namibia.”Everybody is doing what they want to do.There is no proper planning,” he said of the Education Ministry.”Somehow, somewhere there is a lack of planning.”Tjihuiko was upset that the National Assembly had voted against a motion on education introduced by DTA leader Katuutire Kaura last year.He said opposition parties had had the foresight to recognise problems in education, but that the House had thrown out the suggestion that the education sector be reviewed because it originated from the opposition.Tjihuiko suggested a national conference on education at which experts in the sector would be called to help rectify the problems, saying that politicians didn’t necessarily know best about such matters.”I don’t hate Afrikaans.I don’t want my Afrikaans-speaking colleagues to think I’m against Afrikaans but I’m against the force,” said Tjiriange.”I’m not saying the language should not be taught.”Tjiriange questioned why these schools did not rather offer children the choice of studying their indigenous home language.The Namibian schooling system requires high-school students to study at least two languages, one of which must be the national language, English.”Why should a child be forced? Show me a child from the white community studying Otjiherero, but my child’s forced to do Afrikaans.I’m really bitter about it,” said Tjiriange.Former school inspector and MAG parliamentarian Jurie Viljoen asked Tjiriange whether it would improve the state of education in the country if Afrikaans was no longer taught in schools.Tjiriange responded that he was not of the opinion that Namibia’s education system was being compromised as a result, but that he was opposed to forcing children to study something they didn’t want to study.The state of education in the country was put up for debate last week when the National Assembly resumed.Since then, scores of parliamentarians have pointed out what they perceive to be the shortcomings in the system, but very few have suggested remedies.Minister of Regional and Local Government, Housing and Rural Development John Pandeni said he felt parents should play more of role in their children’s education, especially before they reach the formal schooling system.Pandeni said teachers were needed who put education before their own needs.”We are looking for the type of teachers who do not put salaries at the forefront but the learners,” he said.Pandeni added that more teachers should be willing to teach in rural areas, where the quality of education paled in comparison to urban areas.Elma Dienda of the Congress of Democrats said she thought prospective teachers had to be screened before starting their studies.”Teachers are becoming teachers because it’s a job, no longer a calling.Every Tom, Dick and Harry is becoming a teacher these days,” said Dienda.She said it was not the schooling system that was the problem but whether children were being taught properly.The UDF’s Michael Goreseb agreed that the school curricula had been localised, so the system could not be blamed for pupils’ poor performance.Both he and Swapo MP Reggie Diergaardt said they thought schools lacked proper advice and supervision from the Education Ministry’s inspectorate division.Nudo’s Arnold Tjihuiko said in his view, a lack of planning was at the heart of all education woes in Namibia.”Everybody is doing what they want to do.There is no proper planning,” he said of the Education Ministry.”Somehow, somewhere there is a lack of planning.”Tjihuiko was upset that the National Assembly had voted against a motion on education introduced by DTA leader Katuutire Kaura last year.He said opposition parties had had the foresight to recognise problems in education, but that the House had thrown out the suggestion that the education sector be reviewed because it originated from the opposition.Tjihuiko suggested a national conference on education at which experts in the sector would be called to help rectify the problems, saying that politicians didn’t necessarily know best about such matters.