Africa-Press – Namibia. THE top three best achievers for the first Advanced Subsidiary (AS) level examination say their 2022 academic plans are to study abroad, with two heading to South African institutions and another planning to study in Italy.
Ndateelela Ndjamba (18) from Gabriel Taapopi Senior Senior Secondary School says they started the AS level late last year and had to end it early.
“Things weren’t quite okay because of Covid-19. The academic year was short, the content was truly a lot and needed much attention,” Ndjamba says.
She adds that she experienced other challenges like a lack of textbooks, which made studying for accounting and business studies challenging.
“And the fact that the level is new to everybody, the teachers were not quite sure of the content and the learners were not sure because we rely on the teachers, so we had to make use of the internet to get more information on the things we did not understand,” Ndjamba says.
Ndjamba is happy about her achievement and says all her hard work has finally paid off. She will be heading to the University of Cape Town to study accountancy, she told The Namibian.
“I will be able to start the journey this year and my advice is to surround yourself with like-minded people who try by all means to help you reach your goals.”
Chika Libuku (18), says studying for AS level exams was much more chilled than he thought it would be.
He says he had a lot of support from friends and family.
“We would have WhatsApp groups where we would study together, exchange notes and help each other.
One of the challenges he encountered last year was online learning, which he says he was not used to.
“We were not in the mood to take everything online but we had to push through,” Libuku says.
Throughout his school career, Libuku says he was not necessarily an academic person, rather he was good at many things but never made the top 10 in the grade.
“Last year when I wanted to do the best I could, I worked hard and it paid off. I wanted to do my best because a lot of pressure
was on me. If I did not do good this year, the past 11 years of my life would have been for what?”
Libuku’s 2022 academic plans are to hopefully go to Italy by the end of the year to study computer science.
Jada Izaks (18) from St Paul’s College describes studying for the AS level examinations as stressful.
She says she always thought she never had enough time but in the end she completed everything she needed to do.
Izaks says her school prepared her very well and her teachers always answered questions she had and explained topics she was unsure of.
“I am quite proud of myself. I know I worked hard consistently throughout my school career, so it was quite satisfying to see my hard work materialise through my achievement.”
Izaks adds that her 2022 academic plans are to study actuarial science at the University of Cape Town.
“I know everyone always says just work hard but that really is the key, you should not only work hard but work smart as well. You need to be resilient, you need to know what study techniques work for you,” she says.
The minister of education, arts and culture, Anna Nghipondoka, says the aim of the AS curriculum is to expose candidates to in-depth subject knowledge, high order thinking and analytical skills, and ultimately preparing them to become better first-year university students.
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