The Epukiro Secondary School, which was the best performing school in Omaheke region in 2024, recently held an awards ceremony in honour of top achievers.
The school had the best results in the region for the Namibia Senior Secondary Advanced Subsidiary as well as the Namibia Senior Certificate Ordinary external and internal examinations.
Principal Tjivahe Uanivi said the accolades are expected to boost morale and show appreciation for the outstanding performance of pupils and teachers who excelled in the previous academic year.
He expressed gratitude to donors, most of whom came from within the Epukiro community, their descendants in the diaspora, and local businesses. He said it was imperative for all education stakeholders, be it parents, teachers and pupils, to play their roles to achieve good grades.
From 2023 to 2024, the Epukiro Secondary School produced 339 Grade 11 pupils, 88 of whom qualified for the Advanced Subsidiary level, scooping the first and fourth position, respectively, in the region.
Uanivi said from the 56 Grade 12 learners of 2023, 49 were admitted at tertiary institutions while in 2024, 59 grade 12 learners out of 62 secured placements in tertiary institutions.
He, however, expressed concern over a high number of learners transferred from grades 10 to 11, those condoned and repeaters, saying teachers cannot perform miracles to score high percentages with such a high number of learners whose performance is below average.
The regional education inspector, Ismael Kazondanga, called for self-introspection by analysing the reports to identify where the high number of transfer cases are emanating from and how such feeder schools can be assisted to improve their performance.
Kazondanga praised the principal for the significant difference made in the Epukiro community for bringing the much-needed rapid transformation taking place, and affirmed that the school progress was satisfactory.
He also applauded the school board of Epukiro Post 3 for well-driven strategies, setting clear directions for the school, such as the brandnew school bus, purchased within a period of five years with about N$700 000 contributed by the Epukiro community.
Uanivi reminded pupils that education is the key to unlocking doors of opportunities in life. He said it was not merely for gaining knowledge, but was also a powerful tool that would shape their future. He told the pupils that their commitment to learning is an investment in themselves.
“It must be clear to you that your success in education requires more than just attending classes and completing assignments, it demands dedication, commitment, hard work and a burning desire to excel, hence the need for intrinsic motivation from yourselves,” he added.
An excited grade 11 learner, Maria Kapiki, said she had received a few awards and this year, she will put extra effort to ensure she improves her performance and possibly gets more awards.
Ebenezer Muundjua, an accounting teacher said his passion and dedication had driven him to strategise and revisit his style of imparting knowledge and to engage top-performing schools for an exchange of ideas and tips.
AS Level Mathematics teacher, Uakomba Kaimu, attributes his achievement to his commitment to teaching, and ensuring he finishes the syllabus early to give him ample time for revision, teaching at weekends, as well as testing pupils on old question papers from other regions.
*Julia Kamarenga is an information officer at the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, based in the Omaheke region.