Nantu raises alarm over Grade 12 results

THE Namibia National Teachers’ Union (Nantu) says the low number of 2010 Grade 12 candidates qualifying for admission to tertiary institutions is ‘unacceptable’.

Of the 41 199 candidates that sat for the full-time examinations, only 3656 (8,9 per cent) received enough credits to enter institutions of higher learning. The quality of results, the union said, similarly showed a ‘dramatic decline’ although there was an increase in graded (pass) entries. This means that increasing numbers of candidates gained grades E to G, while only a few gained grades A to D. The union suggested that supplementary examinations be introduced to give latitude to those pupils who did not make the cut in the first round. Nantu said the dire situation of the Grade 12 Namibia Senior Secondary Certificate (NSSC) is due to little regional support to rural schools by the inspectorate and subject advisory services. It went as far as saying that some regions’ requests for assistance are ‘deliberately’ ignored. Other causes for the poor performance, it stated, are teacher absenteeism, neglect, lack of commitment, and the lack of a unified relief system in the Ministry of Education. The acting secretary of Nantu, Loide Shaanika, said regional offices are under-budgeted or funds are being channelled to other programmes, resulting in classes with no teachers for more than three to four weeks without any relief teachers. Moreover, it said, rural schools have limited access to libraries, media centres and information technology, arguing that pupils should at least have access to learning support materials at school. Nantu charged that the education ministry failed to adhere to the prescribed staffing ratio of 30 pupils to one teacher at secondary schools and 35 to 1 teacher at primary level. Some secondary schools have registered as many as 40 to 45 pupils in a class. ‘That is why we find that the top 10 performing schools in the country are private schools because they have smaller class sizes and excel in academic activity,’ said the union. The union undertook to intensify training of its members in tandem with corporate partners for improved professional development.It also intends to reintroduce tutorial centres for in-service training of teachers, and to host an interactive website that will provide teaching aids, sample lesson plans and sample question papers.

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