As the chief education officer, Basilius Haingura advises fresh graduates to pursue their careers in public service, as there lies the security of tenure and endless opportunities.

Haingura is responsible for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for Teachers within the Directorate of the National Institute for Educational Development (NIED) in the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture at Okahandja. 

He strongly believes that in public service security of tenure is guaranteed. “Once you are appointed to the service, you can stay in service until the age of 60 unless you choose to retire earlier or resign from service,” he said.

Haingura is one of the longest-serving public servants. He has been working for the government for the past 31 years.  

“I joined the public service in 1991 as an underqualified teacher”. Prior to independence, Haingura worked as a game ranger in the ministry of the environment but was later dismissed due to his political activism.

Dream comes true

Born in Mukuvi village of Kavango East region in Ndiyona constituency, he grew up at Djaradja. Haingura said working for the government is a dream come true.

“It was my dream to work for the government so that I can make a meaningful contribution to nation-building, especially since the transmission of knowledge, skills, and attitudes to young people by the ministry constitutes an important activity for the betterment of life in general. Therefore, I am glad to be one of the people driving the development agenda moving the country forward”.

Haingura further said, “It is good to work for the government because it takes care of its employees in terms of the fringe benefits and it is a very conducive work environment. 

Additionally, the government always makes provisions to attend to the professional needs of the employees.

He describes his three decades of public service as an exhilarating one that is extremely educational. 

“I am appreciative that the county has given me tremendous opportunities to grow professionally and also share my knowledge with others,” he said.

Being in government for many years, Haingura is positive his expertise has been beneficial to the public service, especially to his ministry.

“I believe my expertise assists teachers, especially the newly qualified, through the Novice Induction Programme to boost their professional acumen and confidence. This prepares and empowers them to handle issues affecting them at their respective schools.”

Roles and responsibilities

 As a chief education officer for CPD, who is currently stationed at Okahandja, Haingura’s responsibilities are to identify, oversee and coordinate programmes that support the professional development of educators in ICTs and other areas.

 Apart from that, Haingura is among the team that provides the capacity-building programme for school principals as well as inspectors of education to deliver quality services.

He also serves on different committees dealing with professional issues for teachers and provides advice on CPD to the ministry.

Memorable moments

 There are no jobs without challenges – and for the directorate of the National Institute for Educational Development, it is always challenging to meet the training expectations of teachers with limited resources and the department always has to find innovative ways to reach targets for performance. 

However, for Haingura, what is satisfactory is the fact that there is always improvement in terms of academic performance, which is the core mandate of the ministry advances every year, despite the challenges teachers are faced with.

When asked to point out some of the memorable moments and accomplishments, Haingura said, “the provision of qualified teachers across the country is an issue that we as the ministry should be proud of. This has made it possible for the majority of our learners to be taught by qualified teachers”.  

Misconceptions

 With regard to the public misconception that people like him who work in public institutions are unproductive and inefficient, Haingura had
this to say: “I do not agree with the sentiment. As a public servant, I am hardworking and committed to the call for service delivery. The only challenge is that there are sometimes delays addressing issues of concern within the ministry due to bureaucratic set-up”.

Haingura, who is planning to stick to public service for the next three years, urged the government to professionalise teachers by establishing the regulatory authority to regulate the teaching profession.

He believes that doing so will allow the system to set up standards for teachers so that at the end of the day, the status of the teachers will be improved and positively impact service
delivery.