The Namibian College of Open Learning (Namcol) has on Monday officially opened the academic year at their head office in Windhoek. The institution said it will work to improve academic performance.
The manager of tertiary programmes at Namcol Justina Kavale delivered the official remarks on behalf of the CEO, Heroldt Murangi.
She said, “The 2022 academic year’s work which culminated into the examinations written in October/November 2022, was not as expected as too many learners did not do well in the final examinations.”
Kavale highlighted that for 2022, 32 552 learners were registered on part-time, of these, the peak performance was observed at D grade with a cumulative percentage of 43.3%. This is 15.3% lower than the performance of the previous year, 2021, when it was 58.6%.
Due to poor results, the college devised an improvement plan, early after the results were announced this year, through which efforts to address possible shortcomings will be executed, she said. She stated that the improvement comes at a cost of N$20 million.
The plan outlines strategies to enhance teaching and learning where teachers and tutors are being trained on the Notesmaster platform where such staff and learners can repost notes and ideas on contents.
Kavale added that additional learning resources were procured to accommodate all learners that turned up for enrolment in all subjects offered.
She added that additional sessions will be scheduled two Saturdays per month, two hours per subject, at a maximum of three subjects per day.
“I wish to appeal to learners to work much harder and importantly for parents to become more involved as it has become apparent that their involvement stops when their children enrol with Namcol,” Kavale remarked.
She added that support is not only about paying fees but also ensuring that children study, attend classes and complete assignments on time.
Speaking to students, she said: “You are the young people, full of energy and in the prime years of your lives. As a college, we urge you to use your energy wisely to create a better future for yourselves and this country.”
Namcol’s manager of admissions and certification learner support services Nahum Namukwambi alluded to prioritisation of tasks/schoolwork, such as assignments and tests while social priorities take the backstage.
Namukwambi said the learners need the understanding and support from family members as well as parents.
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