The Ministry of Education’s executive director Sanet Steenkamp has comforted learners who performed poorly, saying no examination results could ever supersede their value, and what they can accomplish. 

The Ministry last week released the Namibia Senior Secondary Certificate Ordinary and Advanced Subsidiary Level Examination results, which states that of the 40 757 candidates who sat for the NSSCO exams, 89.3% were graded, leaving 10.7% highly disappointed. 

Steenkamp said candidates preform differently –exceptionally well, others satisfactory, while another group fails to meet the requirements of higher institutions of learning. 

“Nobody sets themselves up to fail, nobody set themselves out there making themselves vulnerable to shortcomings and shortfalls in life, and everybody wishes to achieve their goals,” she stated. 

Steenkamp noted many successes come at the heels of setbacks and difficulties. 

“You are very young as learners, and everybody in life is deserving of more opportunities, more chances for improvement in all spheres of our lives. Please speak to someone that you trust, please work, and acknowledge your emotions and feelings, and know that you are far more important and worthy than any examination result,” she shared. 

Steenkamp added: “I wish to reiterate that parents and learners alike must create enabling environments, safe spaces where there’s no yelling at each other, no shouting at each other. We will make deliberate efforts even if we are burning inside. We need to be considerate, and create a safe and neutral space where we will listen, so the expression of emotion is of critical importance.” 

She urged learners to self-introspect and craft the way forward or consider a specific pathway to a vocational training centre, or those who are eligible and are of age can return to school. 

“Let us not claim failure as something permanent, let us not claim failure to embrace us. We use failure as a stepping stone to improve the very best version of ourselves, our true authentic selves. It’s a temporary setback not to pass the way you wish and that you set out to pass,” she stated. 

– psiririka@nepc.com.na