Zambezi holiday school boosts 3 500 pupils

Over 3 500 high school pupils in the Zambezi region have participated in a two-week holiday school programme to sharpen their knowledge in examination subjects.

These Grade 11 and 12 pupils are from 22 urban and rural high schools in the region.

Regional education director Alex Sikume last week said the holiday school aimed to strengthen learning recovery, especially in subjects where pupils have shown learning gaps.

He said pupils’ overall performance has not been poor, but data from assessments and classroom monitoring show many need extra support.

“Especially in foundational skills and exam preparation for all Grade 11 and 12 subjects.

This allows teachers time to deal with challenging areas of the syllabi and take pupils through examination techniques.

“The holiday school is not a remedial programme for struggling pupils only, but a broader effort to support academic excellence and give all pupils the opportunity to succeed,” he said.

Sikume said over 200 teachers, most of whom are subject specialists, volunteered to deliver lessons and academic support and oversee enrichment activities.

“They were specially selected based on their classroom impact within the region and other regions. We also had support staff to make sure the programme ran smoothly,” he said.

The Zambezi region showed an improvement in the national examinations last year in both the Namibia Senior Secondary Certificate Ordinary and Advanced Subsidiary level exams.

The region moved from 10th to sixth position and from eighth to seventh position countrywide, respectively.

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