Teachers are not allowed to charge fees when conducting extra classes for their learners.

This is according to the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture’s Director for Programmes and Quality Assurance, Ayeesha Wentworth, who said in an interview with Nampa recently that the policy states teachers may not charge for conducting extra classes for their learners as that forms part of the school improvement strategy.

Some parents have complained that teachers are allegedly charging huge amounts for extra classes for their children who need improvement in certain subjects, especially English, Mathematics, and Science.

Wentworth explained that extra classes should be part of every school improvement strategy. She said when a school has performed poorly, extra classes are one of the strategies they can use to improve their outcomes.

“You are not allowed to charge for extra classes for your own students, on your own subject at your own school,” she said.

She further indicated that teachers who are providing part-time classes on their subjects to other basic education institutions such as the Namibian Open College of Learning (Namcol) must be granted permission through the principal and regional offices.

Wentworth noted that according to the 2023 national examination results, there is room for improvement across the board, however, vocational subjects significantly performed poorly.

“We look at interventions across the board, which look at result analysis from Grade 1 up to Grade 12 and that’s what identifies areas of improvement,” she said. - Nampa