WINDHOEK – With the grades 10 and 12 almost done with their final end-of-year examinations, schools are also now preparing other learners for the year’s final examination hurdle.

Jacob Marengo Secondary School learners and teachers agreed they are as ready as can be. Thomas Egumbo a history and Oshindonga teacher at Jacob Marengo Secondary School said the school is a hive of activity making sure the school curricula are fully covered, along with revision and mock exams, to give learners the optimal chance of progessing to the next grade.

“All the teachers have covered the syllabi. What we are doing now is just revision by working through old question papers with learners and getting them to ask questions on areas of the course they do not fully understand,” said the history teacher.

The school has implemented an extra classes programme, with learners attending class on Saturdays but “with the grades 10 and 12 examinations going on most of the learners are not attending,” said Egumbo, adding that the absence of grades 10 and 12s from classes because of their studying for their exams has somehow affected the other grades’ attendance of extra classes.

Cisco Agostinho, a history, life science, computer study and Portuguese teacher, said: “We have one-hour extra classes every day. This helps our learners to understand in class. They get the chance to share their queries and get help from us teachers as well as other learners,” explained Agostinho.

He said the school also offered extra classes for all learners during the school holidays. “This was really helpful for the Grade 11s as they will be under tremendous pressure and perhaps not have enough time to go through everything next year,” he said.

Matias Philipus a Grade 8 learner said he was preparing for the exams by visiting the library for additional course books, and by “studying harder”. “I always ask my teacher when I do not understand and make use of group studying,” said Philipus.

A Grade 9 learner Shimooshili Aloisia said the school has done enough for learners to prepare and it it “is now up to us to make use of what we got”.

“I always make use of the extra classes we get and concentrate on reading my books,” he said.

By Sabina Elago