Education Director in the Khomas Region, Paulus Nghikembwa, has said considering various challenges faced by the local education sector, he is satisfied with his region’s performance in the recently announced Grade 11 results.
Nghikembwa made these remarks in an interview with Nampa, while expressing his thoughts on the recently announced Grade 11 ordinary level results, in which 6 475 learners sat for the 2021 ordinary level national examinations in the Khomas Region and 1 415 qualified for Grade 12.
“Looking at where we are coming from, considering that Grade 11 is in the new curriculum and all the challenges our country is facing, it is satisfactory. We are building on what we have done in 2020, and we can definitely do more. If you look at the numbers, you can see there is a slight improvement and I am quite happy with it, but we can do better than that and that is what we are aiming for; to increase the numbers every year,” said Nghikembwa.
He added that the education directorate has programmes in place to improve the results, which include workshops for teachers to refresh their teaching skills and support from a section within the ministry called professional development, where senior education officers engage with teachers to look into examination marking reports, identify where the problems are and why learners are not passing.
“We should also keep in mind that education is a process that requires the full participation of all stakeholders. The sooner we realise that this is a shared responsibility that requires passionate engagement by all, the better. The ultimate goal of education is to transform and alter thinking systems and better equip learners to make informed decisions that are essential for their futures,” stated Nghikembwa.
The Grade 11 results have been met with a lot of criticism, with both the National Unity Democratic Organisation and Landless People’s Movement calling them disastrous, while the Trade Union Congress of Namibia called for the abolishment of the new curriculum.
Source: The Namibia Press Agency
