MARIENTAL – Newly-appointed director of education for the Hardap region, Paulus Lewin, has outlined a comprehensive plan to address the region’s struggling education sector.
Lewin, who officially assumed his role on 2 January, highlighted the pressing challenges and the interventions needed to improve the region’s performance in an interview on Monday.
“We are seeing a significant decline in performance across all phases. 

A concerning number of learners are either transferred or are failing to meet the basic competencies, particularly in key subjects like mathematics and languages, which ultimately impacts their performance in Grade 11 and in the final years of secondary school,” he stated.

Hardap dropped from 12th to 13th place nationally in the Namibia Senior Secondary Certificate Ordinary Level examinations, and from fifth to 12th place in the Advanced Subsidiary Level examinations.
In 2023, only 15.6% of learners in the region’s secondary schools qualified to proceed to the Advanced Subsidiary level, which fell further to 13.8% in 2024.
“This decline is worrisome,” Lewin stated.

Several factors contribute to the region’s poor performance, including high dropout rates, a significant number of unqualified teachers, and inadequate infrastructure.
“Many of the region’s hostels and schools are in a state of disrepair, making it difficult to provide a conducive learning environment,” he said.

Despite these challenges, Lewin expressed optimism about the future of education in Hardap, as programmes and interventions to improve the situation are already in motion.
These include addressing teachers’ shortages and increasing the number of qualified teachers, strengthening oversight to ensure quality education delivery, and enhancing support mechanisms for struggling learners, especially in critical subjects.

-Nampa