Education summit a ‘Swapo event’ – RDP

THE national conference on education that will start in about one week’s time has been described as a ‘Swapo conference’ because the education ministry ‘does not want to include everyone’.

The RDP’s secretary for education and training, Miriam Hamutenya, said the list of invited participants excludes political parties and the private sector. A perusal of the list, however, shows a plethora of private-sector players and regional governors, although all the governors are Swapo Party candidates. The conference, which will take place between June 28 and July 1, under the theme ‘Collectively delivering on the education promise: improving the education system for quality learning outcomes’, is to create a national platform for diverse stakeholders in education to discuss and reflect on the performance of the Namibian education system after Independence. According to the Ministry of Education, it is also supposed to collectively identify the challenges facing the sector, and come up with concrete proposals that will form the basis of a road map for improvements. International experiences and practices will similarly be focused on as a yardstick for the Namibian sector development. Education minister Abraham Iyambo said the conference will discuss ‘everything to retain and consolidate what works and look at any deficiencies and misfits in system to reform that’. ‘We must interrogate the education sector and seek solutions,’ he said.Iyambo said there would be ‘strong discussions’ on pre-school foundation building, the strengthening of vocational education and training, and reform of higher education. While welcoming the initiative, Hamutenya said the conference would not bring about ‘aggressive reform’ of the sector, but that it would merely an improvement on old problems. ‘How can you improve something that has completely failed?’ she queried. ‘As a result, this is just another conference like other conferences that had taken place in the past and bore no results.’The RDP said the education system needs a complete overhaul, that pre-primary education should be strengthened, that the entire curriculum be restructured with a deliberate focus on science, mathematics and information technology, with more vocational centres, and four tertiary institutions to improve competitiveness. Hamutenya said while education minister Abraham Iyambo ‘has created the wrong impression that he is the problem solver’, he will not be able to do so because of bureaucratic structures will not allow him to do so. Hamutenya said from the list of invited participants, the conference would only focus on revamping the system, and would not allow delegates ‘with low level of education to make any tangible contribution’ except to collect per diems. The RDP secretary said the education system should instead be ‘depoliticised’, with government functionaries putting the profession first before any party political considerations. And, she added, while the education system in the country has failed, Unam thought it prudent to confer an honorary degree upon President Hifikepunye Pohamba after Pohamba had refused to be ‘honoured’. ‘The culture of awarding honorary recognition to persons who are regarded correct but ‘politically connected’ is also degrading the status of higher education in the country,’ said Hamutenya. ‘It gives the impression to leaders that they are doing a good job when in reality they need to pull up their socks.’Hamutenya further said that the chancellorship of Unam should be given to a qualified person that can play an active and impartial role. Former President Sam Nujoma is still the university’s chancellor, a position he was given while president of the country.