President Hage Geingob has tasked the Minister of Education Anna Nghipondoka to provide a detailed report on why the final results of the Namibia Senior Secondary Certificate Ordinary and Advanced Subsidiary levels (NSSCO and NSSCAS) were poor.

The Presidency in a media statement on Tuesday indicated that Geingob has listened carefully to all stakeholders who have publicly expressed themselves and would like to inform Namibians that as President and Chairperson of the Cabinet, he bears ultimate responsibility and accountability to the nation for the affairs of Offices/Ministries/Agencies.

“The President wishes to reassure Namibians that, following receipt of the report from Nghipondoka, the necessary decisions and actions will be taken to advance the interests of teachers, learners, and the education sector in general,” it said.

It also said as a former teacher, President Geingob is acutely aware of the needs of teachers and the role they play in the education and well-being of the children, as well as the betterment of Namibia, noting that the President has always stated that it is because of teachers and education in general that the son of a farmworker becomes President of a country and the daughter of a domestic worker becomes a medical doctor.

“As a result, the President would like to appeal to all stakeholders, particularly teachers, students, parents, the Ministry of Education, and labour unions, to refrain from blaming one another for the poor results, which everyone agrees are not in the best interests of the country. Such blaming each other is counterproductive,” the statement read.

It went on to say that after the report is tabled and the necessary decisions are made, Geingob is confident that common solutions will be found to avoid a repeat of the dismal results of the 2022 Academic Year.

From the 38 019 candidates who sat for the exams during the October/November national examinations in 2022, only 8 133 qualified for admission into tertiary education.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency