During her regional visit to the Hardap Region on Tuesday, Deputy Minister of Education, Arts and Culture, Faustina Caley addressed concerns regarding the decline in learner promotion rates in secondary education within the region.
Caley, at Mariental, highlighted the necessity of implementing effective strategies to support learner advancement and motivation.
‘We, as school managers, must return to our schools and drive the educational transformation that Namibian children need and deserve,’ she emphasised.
The visit aimed to review semester results from May and June 2024 and facilitate discussions among principals, teachers, learners, the Hardap governor and regional councillors from the Aranos and Rehoboth Urban West constituencies. The focus was on analysing regional results, discussing strategies for improvement, and addressing other pressing educational issues with key stakeholders.
Regional Examination Officer, Arnold Zaamuani presented the results, which revealed a concerning decline in promotion
rates as learners progress through grades. While lower primary learners had an impressive pass rate of 99.8 per cent, this success decreases significantly in higher grades. For example, in Grade 4, 3 005 students were promoted, but only 61 per cent advanced to Grade 5. The promotion rate dropped further to 57.9 per cent in Grade 5.
The trend worsened in higher grades: Grade 8 had a 28.9 per cent promotion rate, Grade 9 saw a slight increase to 39.6 per cent, and Grade 10 had a 32.5 per cent promotion rate. The most alarming decline was in Grade 11, where the promotion rate fell to 19.9 per cent. Grade 12 showed marked improvement with a promotion rate of 73.5 per cent.
The analysis pointed to critical issues in secondary education, especially in mathematics and languages. During the visit, stakeholders discussed strategies to enhance support in these key subjects.
Caley also stressed the ministry’s commitment to effective resource allocation. ‘We must identify key areas for improvement and foster a culture
of true leadership in our schools,’ Caley stated.
The visit underscored the urgent need for targeted interventions to improve educational outcomes in the Hardap Region, aiming to enhance student performance by the year’s end.
Source :The Namibia News Agency