Africa-Press – Namibia. The ministry of education this week released the Namibia Senior Secondary Certificate Ordinary (NSSCO) as well as Advanced Subsidiary (AS) results for those who sat for exams last year. The results showed a slight improvement in the pass rate.
Minister Anna Nghipondoka said out of 40 757 pupils who wrote the NSSCO examination last year, only 12 031, or 29.5%, met the threshold to enter university gates. About 28 700 learners failed to make the universities’ cut.
Following the announcement, New Era journalist Lahja Nashuuta (LN) had a chat with Executive Director Sanet Steenkamp (SS) to touch base on the results and the education sector in general.
LN: The class of 2024 is to be congratulated for completing school, despite the immense challenges the education ministry is faced with. What is your take on this year’s performance?
SS: We are quite excited about the results for 2024, the NSSCO and the AS levels. You could see that there were deliberate efforts, not just from the schools, the learners or the parents, but also from teachers. So, specific strategies were introduced, every strategy context-based, all depending on the needs of the region and the resources. And of course, from the team here at the head office, we also supplemented the resources to the schools. So, there were regional improvement strategies that they adopted within the specific schools that contributed to this year’s pass rate.
LN: Shed light on some of those strategies.
SS: Like I always say, the solutions for one school do not necessarily meet the same criteria for another school. So, it’s all context-based. It’s based on the needs of the schools, and how quickly a teacher, with what depth of understanding, can convey the content of the subjects, and make sure that the curriculum or the syllabus is completed within a given timeframe.
Thus, I think all of those are things that contributed to specific schools. Your cohort is also important. Remember, we come from 2020, when we had Covid-19; it’s five years later.
Hence, you need to look back to see the AS and the NSSCO learners. Where were they five years ago? How were they affected? I think the results could have been much better. I’m very realistic about it, but I’m also, at the same time, celebrating the milestones that we have made in terms of the increase of the candidates in the AS level that we managed to get through from the NSSCO.
Besides that, specific strategies were employed to engage teachers to foster change, such as making suggestions, giving feedback, modelling exemplary behaviour, soliciting advice and options, and giving praise.
LN: How have learners’ performances evolved over the past five years?
SS: As the minister alluded to earlier, since 2020, when 18.5% of pupils who wrote Ordinary level examinations qualified, there has been a steady increase in the percentage of pupils qualifying for Grade 12 or universities. Since 2024, there has been a consistent rise of candidates qualifying for advanced subsidiary level in our schools, reflecting positive progress. This clearly shows improvement in our education system, offering optimism for the future.
LN: In 2024, the education ministry consulted with late president Hage Geingob before releasing school results after uninspiring results the previous year. Did recommendations from those meetings result into positive results?
SS: Yes, it is the ministry’s custom that every year before we release the national results, we must engage the Head of State. Hence, this year we also briefed His Excellency Nangolo Mbumba and the Vice President and President-Elect, Her Excellency Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah. We must understand that for every ministry, the government issues directives. We listen with understanding, and of course government wants efficiency, resources to be spent well, and then hard work from the people. That doesn’t cost money, but it requires a specific kind of leadership and commitment at all levels.
Yes, we had the engagements, but there was also a directive, and that is the direct procurement for infrastructure development that was highly successful.
Over the past two years, we managed to construct 1 022 classrooms, and are in the process of completing ablution facilities. So yes, infrastructure development is very important. The procurement of chairs and desks is still a problem because of the procurement system, where we could also get into reviews or you’re being challenged, and then you experience delays.
There are quite a few things that we still need to improve on as the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture if we really want to see efficiency at the lowest level.
LN: This year’s academic theme is ‘Building strong foundations and maintaining excellence in basic education’. What is the ministry’s motto for the year ahead?
SS: This motto reaffirms our commitment to transforming education, and our commitment to quality. It re-informs the notion that mastering the basics is the key to consistent excellence – you cannot build a strong house without a solid foundation.
Our motto is to reinforce and emphasise the importance of mastering fundamentals and excellence in execution – thus doing things right. We will connect fundamental skills – in the classroom, such as literacy and numeracy – with first-time success, thus connecting fundamentals with successful outcomes. It is applicable across subjects and contexts, across the full spectrum of providing education in the offices and classrooms.
LN: Any final words?
SS: I’m just excited for the learners, and I want to say to those learners who did not get the results that they aspired for, who did not get the results that they also believe they worked hard for.
These results will not and cannot ever determine who you are, what you stand for, or what your identity is and your potential. Please see it as a temporary setback, and find new ways or new pathways. Take new action steps, have discussions, and open and honest discussions at the household level and with your teachers as to what the possible pathways for you can be.
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