Ministry of Education responds

THE Ministry of Education has taken time out to respond to a number of the complaints about the Education Sector, which have been SMSed to The Namibian: WE as unemployed teachers for the year 2007 are looking up to the ministry to do something for us next year because this year we were called to submit our names as well as qualifications to specify the area of specialisation of an individual to the personnel office at Ondangwa and also at the educational office of Oshana.

We know our personal details are still there with you, though nothing has been done so far. Please do something.The exercise, which was done in all 13 regions, was meant to locate unemployed qualified teachers with their field of specialisation in order to request regional education offices to use the list of names to consider them first and employ them when there are vacancies in their regions.Regional offices are still using these lists.Teacher graduates are further urged to apply for vacancies at schools in rural areas to increase their chances of securing employment.HOW will the Ministry of Education improve education? I think teachers are overloaded with work, e.g.lesson planning teaching, preparing activities, setting test and exams and marking etc.that is too much for one person.My proposal is this, why doesn’t the Ministry of Education apply the same system to all the phases that write exams like what is being done at Grade 10 and 12 at the end of the year.Here I mean there must be two teachers for each subject… It is impossible for the Ministry of Education to employ two teachers for each subject at every school.The Ministry is already the largest single employer in the country, employing close to 70% of public service staff.That is around 38 000 employees.Teachers are more than 20 000.If we had to go with your suggestion, our whole budget would just be for salaries, considering that 70-80% of the Ministry’s budget currently goes to paying of salaries.Lesson planning, teaching, preparing activities, setting tests and exams and marking are all part of the teaching profession and it is best done by one teacher in order for him/her to assess his/her learners best.You seriously cannot expect another teacher to plan for you what you are going to teach the next day.It will not work.School holidays are there to allow teachers to take time out from their hectic and noble profession and teachers should make use of it.Yours in Education Public Relations OfficePlease do something.The exercise, which was done in all 13 regions, was meant to locate unemployed qualified teachers with their field of specialisation in order to request regional education offices to use the list of names to consider them first and employ them when there are vacancies in their regions.Regional offices are still using these lists.Teacher graduates are further urged to apply for vacancies at schools in rural areas to increase their chances of securing employment.HOW will the Ministry of Education improve education? I think teachers are overloaded with work, e.g.lesson planning teaching, preparing activities, setting test and exams and marking etc.that is too much for one person.My proposal is this, why doesn’t the Ministry of Education apply the same system to all the phases that write exams like what is being done at Grade 10 and 12 at the end of the year.Here I mean there must be two teachers for each subject… It is impossible for the Ministry of Education to employ two teachers for each subject at every school.The Ministry is already the largest single employer in the country, employing close to 70% of public service staff.That is around 38 000 employees.Teachers are more than 20 000.If we had to go with your suggestion, our whole budget would just be for salaries, considering that 70-80% of the Ministry’s budget currently goes to paying of salaries.Lesson planning, teaching, preparing activities, setting tests and exams and marking are all part of the teaching profession and it is best done by one teacher in order for him/her to assess his/her learners best.You seriously cannot expect another teacher to plan for you what you are going to teach the next day.It will not work.School holidays are there to allow teachers to take time out from their hectic and noble profession and teachers should make use of it.Yours in Education Public Relations Office