Matheus Hamutenya
Keetmanshoop-The lack of teachers remains a problem in the country and the //Kharas Region is no exception as 69 of the advertised 243 vacancies remain unfilled.
Revealing this during an interview with New Era, //Kharas education director Johannes //Hoeseb said the shortage of qualified teachers is still a problem, adding that some of the vacancies advertised were not filled because all applicants did not meet requirements.
He said the search for the right candidates continues, despite schools reopening yesterday, noting that many schools will have to rely on the temporary teachers that had been helping out before.
//Hoeseb however noted that making use of temporary teachers should not be seen in a negative light, as some of these teachers have performed quite well over the past years, with some even out-performing those with teaching qualifications.
He urged temporary teachers to seize the opportunity and move from unqualified or underqualified teachers to qualified teachers, by furthering their studies.
The director also shed light on the placement of learners at schools, as some parents are allegedly frustrated because they cannot get a place for their children.
Schools are said to be full, but //Hoeseb said the parents are partly to blame for placement issues, and it is not necessarily due to lack of space.
He said the problem only seems to be with Grade 1. He said parents usually flock to certain schools where they want their children to be enrolled and do not want to go to other schools where there is space.
Kalahari circuit inspector Constance Wantenaar briefly responded to New Era on the situation of placement in the circuit, indicating that pre-primary and Grade 1 remain a challenge as most schools are full to capacity while learners are still turning up.
“As of yesterday we had 89 learners who did not have a place in Grade 1, but this number might have increased now, while 51 learners at pre-primary did not have a place,” she said.