EENHANA – Finally, the most important time you have been waiting for is here! You have probably been tossing and turning in your blankets all week and wondering if all the stories you have heard about secondary and high school are true. Don’t worry, it’s not as scary as they have been made to sound. They have probably told you that the prefects at high school are much tougher and meaner, to some extent it is true, but is not as bad as it has been made to be. Provided you stay on the right side of the rules.
You may have been head prefect at primary, but that does not carry over into secondary school or high school, respect the new leadership and be humble. According to a teacher at the Oshikunde Secondary School in the Ohakafiya circuit in the Ohangwena region, Ester Hamutenya, the easiest way for a learner to survive in this new jungle is to find a friend. “New learners in new schools will not make it on their own. They should find a friend from their primary school if they have former classmates around, or take a leap and make new relevant friends. It will be easier for them to figure their way out because two heads are better than one,” she says
She also advises new learners to buckle up and get ready for more mind-blowing, exciting and challenging subjects like Science, Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology and Physics and a whole lot more. It may be little difficult and overwhelming, but they should get used to this new schooling environment. A former Grade 12 learner at Haimbili Haufiku, who was also a prefect and currently serving as the Junior Mayor on the Junior Town Council of Eenhana, Edward Naikaku, advises new learners to have a study plan. He says the subjects are now little more complicated and it is important to give each subject enough attention. “If they are at a boarding school like my former school, Haimbili Haufiku Senior School, they should make use of the study time. If they are now new at a boarding school and they were never in a boarding school all long, then this will be a different experience. They may miss home the first days but once they make friends, they will not even feel the difference. It will just become a second home,” says Naikaku.
Naikaku have since passed his Grade 12 with flying colours and he plans to study law at the University of Namibia (Unam). He further says boarding school learners need to be wiser about where they keep their belongings and their “tuck”. “They should make sure that they always keep it safe and locked up and that all their belongings are clearly labeled and should not be reckless or careless with them. Remember to be smart always. They should try their best to find out all the rules like what time they have to be in the dorm so that they avoid punishment. New learners should be reminded that nothing comes out of nothing, so they should try to make use of every free time they get to study. They have to start today,” he advises
About reported bullying especially in boarding schools, he says teens are bullied in any way but “should not hesitate to report”.
“Others believe that reporting the bully isn’t cool. But they should not be fooled, high school should be an experience, they should not allow anyone to make it a nightmare for new learners. Instead, they should report that bully to a prefect or your teacher.”
By Clemence Tashaya