Africa-Press – Namibia. IT is often said all it takes to succeed is dedication and focus, and Canisianum Roman Catholic High School has proven this.
The Anamulenge (Outapi)-based private school in the Omusati region last year rose to the top of the best-performing private school for Grade 11 and third-best for Grade 12 examination results.
The school was established in 1972 by the Roman Catholic Mission, and attributes its excellent performance to its motivated pupils and teachers, as well as involved parents.
And most of all: prayers.
School principal Henriette Ainima has been at the helm of the school for over 10 years.
“The school has been performing exceptionally well from the past leadership to date … I have been motivating the teachers and pupils to always perform well, and my wish has always been that Canisianum be one of the best-performing schools in the country,” she says.
“We begin each school day with holy mass and prayers for the school’s 350 pupils.
“In fact, we prioritise prayers to guide us. This way we are led by the Holy Spirit and the children’s minds are cleared of any distraction.
“We have invested in teachers who are committed and the school has adopted a system of rewarding them with financial bonuses for good performance.
“So, in this way, my teachers are competing with each other for these rewards,” Ainima says.
“I didn’t think 2022 would put us at the top [for Grade 11] because we had so many challenges since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic . . . But we are committed to motivation. We always invite special motivators from outside to talk to us,” she says.
CHALLENGES
Ainima says the school is faced with many challenges, such as a lack of school materials and hostel space.
“We receive thousands of applications each year but the school can only accommodate 378 pupils in total, and 321 are accommodated at the hostel.
“We would like to have all our pupils at the hostel but there is just no space. We have struggled to get support from the government through the ministry of education, but this has been resolved.
PARENTS WEIGH IN
Haydee Hashipala’s daughter just completed Grade 11 at Canisianum Roman Catholic High School.
“When my daughter was accepted at the school I was a little skeptical because of the state of the school. The infrastructure was kind of dilapidated and she had just come from a Windhoek-based school, so a village school didn’t really sit well with me.
“However, in the first term my child’s performance already put my worries to rest and gave me a positive outlook on the school.
“She did way better in her grades than ever. As the year went by she just performed better and better – even when teaching was reduced due to Covid-19.
“In fact, my daughter has become more disciplined and well mannered.
“Overall the school has the most committed team of teachers who are directly involved with parents. Not a day have I been worried about my child, because I knew she was in the best care,” Hashipala says.
Katarina Iilonga, another parent, says more than two of her children and herself have attended Canisianum.
“Canisianum is the right school for my children, because the kids are not only taught schoolwork, but also how to be spiritual.
“This instils good discipline in the children. They enter this school with little understanding and no motivation, but because of the determination and commitment of teachers they end up excelling,” she says.
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