Mukuve T Vilho
The results for the grade 11 and AS level exams that were revealed on 30 December 2022 were so dismal that the entire nation was talking about them. As soon as the minister of education held a press conference, the blame game began.
The media cited her as condemning government schools for bad instruction. Parents were also accusing the teachers, but the teachers were blaming the ministry, the parents, and the students. While the leader of the Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) conducted an unbalanced analysis of the situation, opposition parties criticised the ruling party, etc.
The truth is that everyone is equally responsible for supplying the tools required to prepare successful learning outcomes for students. These clans need to take responsibility:
Ministry of education: The failure of the administration to solve issues facing the education system should be held accountable. The underfunding of education is solely to blame for the students’ low performance, which has made learning challenging for schoolchildren. Poor school facilities, funding cuts to education, crowded classrooms, subpar textbooks, an unclear method for monitoring and evaluating new curricula, and a lack of in-service training for AS teachers are all contributing factors. No collaboration with institution of higher learning offering education courses.
Teachers: Not all teachers are good, and vice versa; praise for those performing well should be offered. Parents and the ministry frequently blame teachers for their children’s academic failure as a result of insufficient attention devoted to their children in classes. Some teachers lack motivation and are unprepared to instruct their students. Despite having lesson plans, they lack work ethics.
Learners: Many times, students do not adequately prepare for their exams for a variety of reasons, including procrastinating during the study period and being careless with their studies. Students squander a lot of time procrastinating or hanging out and partying with classmates and friends during the term or semester. When they could simply study and be ready for tests and exams at the end of the semester, they waste all of their free time. Students frequently neglect their examinations and don’t give any thought to the outcomes or grades.
Parents: It is well known that parental participation plays a key role in helping students succeed more often and maintain their academic achievement. Therefore, regardless of how skillfully teachers instruct or how well the government supports education, learners will still fail to excel in their academics as predicted if parents don’t carry out their crucial part in their children’s education. It is necessary to emphasise parents’ contributions to children’s academic success in order for society to recognise how crucial parental involvement is to children’s success. This piece examines it.
In conclusion, research demonstrates that parental involvement is one of the key elements in achieving higher student achievement and enduring academic success. Therefore, even the best teachers will not be able to help children succeed academically if parents fail to recognise and fulfill their crucial role in this. and government can support as much as it could, but there would still be a limitation in students achieving excellence in their academics.
* Mukuve T Vilho is an educator, student and researcher; he can be reached at vilhomt@gmail.com