Upgrades Can Be Immediate

AS reported in The Namibian of February 7, the parastatal Namibia Airports Company (NAC) plans to invest N$295 million to upgrade several of the eight airports that it manages around the country.

Of this a whopping 83% or N$245 million will be applied to construct a new runway and to replace a fuel line at Hosea Kutako International Airport. The remainder will largely be used to upgrade facilities at other airports around Namibia.Any visitor to north-central Namibia will say that a good starting point for NAC’s envisaged airport upgrade programme is the country’s northern gateway, Ondangwa airport.Although N$15 million of the projected overall expenditure will reportedly go towards constructing a new terminal building at Ondangwa Airport there seems to be no valid reason why an upgrade of the present facility can’t start immediately, to enhance customer convenience and service, and to project a better image for business travellers and visitors to the north.For example the large hoarding in the arrivals hall that promotes CitiExpo, an event that took place in 2001 at the start of this decade, should immediately be removed.Placing a few garden-type tables and chairs outside the terminal building main entrance is another inexpensive way of upgrading the facility.The airport management might also wish to prevail on the firm operating the refreshment kiosk to upgrade their menu and standard of customer service.In short there is no justification for the leadership of state-owned enterprise, NAC to wait for a new N$15 million terminal building to be constructed at the Ondangwa Airport.The upgrade of Ondangwa Airport, like ‘a journey of a thousand miles starting with the first step’, can start immediately and be done creatively, inexpensively and without further delay.Dan Pryor Via e-mail —- Panacea For Ailing Grade 10EVERY stakeholder in the education sector has expressed dissatisfaction over the Grade 10 results.The deliberations solicited much criticism and suggestions focussing particularly on the impact of the exam results.That is the future of the learners who failed Grade 10 and virtually left with no opportunities for further education, training, or employment.Educationally pronounced as “wastage”.One of the seemingly favoured solutions to the quandary is to allow repetition of 10th graders, using a double shift approach.The solution actually contravenes the existing policy pertaining to promotions and repetitions.But of course when a policy fails to deliver, and after thoroughly exhausting all possible remedies, then a paradigm shift becomes inevitable.The main point is that panic driven and haphazard solutions often complicates if not worsen the situation.In reality, failure begins at the lower grades but then is carried along till the culminating point, in this case, represented by Grade 10.Several studies conducted in many developing nations, have concluded that high student repetition and dropout rates are primary sources of low internal efficiency in education systems, which actually results to poor quality of education.A study conducted by Dr Marope under the auspices of the World Bank, titled ‘Namibia Human Capital and Knowledge Development for Economic Growth with Equity’, stated that most internal efficiency indicators showed a pattern of rapid improvement after independence, followed by a gross decline from 1996/97.In 1996, a policy was introduced to address the problem of repetition.This policy allows learners to repeat only once within a phase.It also prohibits repetition of Grade 10 by learners who are 16 years or older.The policy literally implies that learners proceed to the subsequent phase or grade without actually attaining the required basic competencies.This policy further undermined, if not ignored, possible consequences as unintended outcome.One of the intended outcomes is that the policy failed to foster zeal and enthusiasm in both teachers and learners.Therefore, it overrides the importance of teaching and learning in grades other than grades 10 and 12.A policy this nature is subject to failure if it is not accompanied by appropriate incentive schemes which are supportive and catalysing sub-programmes geared toward facilitating effective and efficient accomplishment of policy goals.The Indian education system was no exemption to educational problems common in many developing nations.Highly unacceptable repetition and dropout rates inextricably crippled their education system.In solution to this detriment, a variety of incentive schemes were unexplored.These schemes targeted learners of different classification; the grade, the geographical location, social status, gender, etc.One of the schemes that could be tailored immediately to the Namibian situation is: Remedial Centres – the main objective of remedial centres is to provide additional academic support to the children weak in studies.The process involves identifying individual learners who were weak in languages and mathematics.Remedial centres had duration of one month and it was mostly organised during vacations, and did not necessarily rely on qualified teachers.In Namibia remedial teaching is an easy approach that can even be introduced this year with the current 9th and 10th graders and gradually to lower grades.Unless and until each grade is accorded similar importance to that of grade 10 and 12, and supportive programmes are immediately introduced, failure remains insurmountable.Romanus Shivoro WindhoekThe remainder will largely be used to upgrade facilities at other airports around Namibia.Any visitor to north-central Namibia will say that a good starting point for NAC’s envisaged airport upgrade programme is the country’s northern gateway, Ondangwa airport.Although N$15 million of the projected overall expenditure will reportedly go towards constructing a new terminal building at Ondangwa Airport there seems to be no valid reason why an upgrade of the present facility can’t start immediately, to enhance customer convenience and service, and to project a better image for business travellers and visitors to the north.For example the large hoarding in the arrivals hall that promotes CitiExpo, an event that took place in 2001 at the start of this decade, should immediately be removed.Placing a few garden-type tables and chairs outside the terminal building main entrance is another inexpensive way of upgrading the facility.The airport management might also wish to prevail on the firm operating the refreshment kiosk to upgrade their menu and standard of customer service.In short there is no justification for the leadership of state-owned enterprise, NAC to wait for a new N$15 million terminal building to be constructed at the Ondangwa Airport.The upgrade of Ondangwa Airport, like ‘a journey of a thousand miles starting with the first step’, can start immediately and be done creatively, inexpensively and without further delay. Dan Pryor Via e-mail —- Panacea For Ailing Grade 10EVERY stakeholder in the education sector has expressed dissatisfaction over the Grade 10 results.The deliberations solicited much criticism and suggestions focussing particularly on the impact of the exam results.That is the future of the learners who failed Grade 10 and virtually left with no opportunities for further education, training, or employment.Educationally pronounced as “wastage”.One of the seemingly favoured solutions to the quandary is to allow repetition of 10th graders, using a double shift approach.The solution actually contravenes the existing policy pertaining to promotions and repetitions.But of course when a policy fails to deliver, and after thoroughly exhausting all possible remedies, then a paradigm shift becomes inevitable.The main point is that panic driven and haphazard solutions often complicates if not worsen the situation.In reality, failure begins at the lower grades but then is carried along till the culminating point, in this case, represented by Grade 10.Several studies conducted in many developing nations, have concluded that high student repetition and dropout rates are primary sources of low internal efficiency in education systems, which actually results to poor quality of education.A study conducted by Dr Marope under the auspices of the World Bank, titled ‘Namibia Human Capital and Knowledge Development for Economic Growth with Equity’, stated that most internal efficiency indicators showed a pattern of rapid improvement after independence, followed by a gross decline from 1996/97.In 1996, a policy was introduced to address the problem of repetition.This policy allows learners to repeat only once within a phase.It also prohibits repetition of Grade 10 by learners who are 16 years or older.The policy literally implies that learners proceed to the subsequent phase or grade without actually attaining the required basic competencies.This policy further undermined, if not ignored, possible consequences as unintended outcome.One of the intended outcomes is that the policy failed to foster zeal and enthusiasm in both teachers and learners.Therefore, it overrides the importance of teaching and learning in grades other than grades 10 and 12.A policy this nature is subject to failure if it is not accompanied by appropriate incentive schemes which are supportive and catalysing sub-programmes geared toward facilitating effective and efficient accomplishment of policy goals.The Indian education system was no exemption to educational problems common in many developing nations.Highly unacceptable repetition and dropout rates inextricably crippled their education system.In solution to this detriment, a variety of incentive schemes were unexplored.These schemes targeted learners of different classification; the grade, the geographical location, social status, gender, etc.One of the schemes that could be tailored immediately to the Namibian situation is: Remedial Centres – the main objective of remedial centres is to provide additional academic support to the children weak in studies.The process involves identifying individual learners who were weak in languages and mathematics.Remedial centres had duration of one month and it was mostly organised during vacations, and did not necessarily rely on qualified teachers.In Namibia remedial teaching is an easy approach that can even be introduced this year with the current 9th and 10th graders and gradually to lower grades.Unless and until each grade is accorded similar importance to that of grade 10 and 12, and supportive programmes are immediately introduced, failure remains insurmountable.Romanus Shivoro Windhoek