Africa-Press – Namibia. THE Ohangwena region’s grades 10 and 11 pupils have not started their academic year yet.
This is due to the disruption of the academic year caused by the rewriting of the Grade 12 final examinations after examination papers for the Namibia Senior Secondary Certificate (NSSCO legacy) and Namibia Senior Secondary Certificate (NSSCO new) were leaked last year. The rewriting process has led to a lack of space for Grade 10s at schools.
Ohangwena education director Isack Hamatwi says most schools in the region have run out of class and hostel space, hence the decision that grade 10 and 11 pupils whose academic year will only start on the 24th of this month, should remain at home until the rewriting of the Grade 12 examinations have been completed.
“We informed them to remain at home and start school on a later date, or at least until the Grade 12 pupils finish rewriting their examinations. Our schools are full to capacity, and we do not have enough space to accommodate all the pupils.
“Our hostels are also packed to capacity. “The rewriting has really caused a lot of disruption to our school calender, and we are forced to put many things on hold until the examinations are done. Teachers are currently not teaching, but are busy invigilating at the examinations,” he says.
Hamatwi says only about 26 schools in the region offering Grade 10 have started the academic year, of which many are combined schools, while a total of 18 schools offering Grade 10, including two private schools, have not started yet.
He says most of the Grade 10 pupils who have not commenced with the school year yet are boarding-school pupils, as hostels are currently occupied by pupils in grades 12. Additionally, the region is in dire need of more teachers as most schools are currently understaffed.
“We have requested additional teachers from the ministry, and we are still awaiting their response. We have enough space in schools – our only challenge is teachers,” Hamatwi says. Several efforts to get comment from the executive director of education, arts and culture, Sanet Steenkamp, have been unsuccessful.
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