Know Your Civil Servant – A man of many hats 

Know Your Civil Servant – A man of many hats 

Lahja Nashuuta 

A typical day for a school principal is more than sitting in an office, answering phone calls or doling out discipline for problematic students. 

Martin Shikalepo is committed to providing quality inclusive education to a Namibian child. He is the principal of Shoopala Combined School (CS) in the Ruacana Circuit, Omusati region. 

Shoopala CS has an enrolment of 854 learners from Pre-grade to grade 9. It comprises a staff complement of 37 staff, of which 32 are teaching staff and five are support staff. 

Shikalepo regards himself as a visible, guiding force, who is always accessile to those in need of his service. 

In an interview with New Era, he described his day at work as unpredictable, nonstop but rewarding. To him, a normal school day is all about interactions with students, teachers, support staff, parents and community members. 

Civil service 

Born and raised in Okafitu Kanangombe, Ombaanhu, in Ogongo Constituency, Shikalepo has been serving the government for almost three decades. 

He joined public service in 1995 as a qualified teacher. 

“The very first day I commenced duty as a public servant will always be an unforgettable memory, tantamount to a mission accomplished,” he said. 

Serving as an educator has been Shikalepo’s dream. “Born and bred in a remote area, exposure was somewhat limited, the career professionals we could see around then were predominantly teachers and nurses. Therefore, at a tender age, teaching became my passion,” shared the educator. 

As a school principal , Shikalepo is responsible for overseeing administration and implementing ministerial policies , guidelines and directives. 

His motto is “to make the school a better place, and to help learners develop and excel, as experiencing the growth, development and excellent results the learners produced is a pleasure”. 

Asked how his vast experience in teaching improved performance at Shoopala Combined School, Shikalepo said he was able to inculcate a culture of hard work among the teachers and learners. 

Questioned as to what glued him to the public sector for nearly three decades, he said: “working for the government is commendable. It goes without saying that it is crafted in a scratch-my-back-and-I’ ll – scratch-your-back phenomenon”. 

Challenges 

Shikalepo said one must be nimble and adaptive in response to various challenges. 

“My job requires me to be strategic and focused in advancing our top priorities and concentrating on what matters most – student learning,” he said. Learners dropping out of school, late coming to school and lack of resources – be it human, physical or financial – are some of the issues that the school experiences. 

“Challenges exist to be challenged. We cannot act like crying babies. We must strive to achieve more with less, as that has typically been the norm. Therefore, it would be wise and beneficial to be innovative, think outside the box, and move forward with whatever resources are available to ensure effective service delivery”. 

Despite these challenges, Shikalepo finds joy in seeing his former pupils succeed and become responsible citizens. 

“Meeting my former students who are now teachers, nurses, police officers and more brings me immense satisfaction… It feeds one’s intrinsic motivation to witness the people we have imparted knowledge reciprocating into professionals and productive citizens. Teaching is knowledge manufacturing. It satisfies me when the ones I scaffolded are scaffolding others. It is a ripple effect,” Shikalepo said. 

Effectiveness of public services 

In response to the alleged misconception of the unproductiveness and inefficiency of public service institutions , Shikalepo compared it to an analogy of chicken and egg. 

“It is a no and yes. One can say it is in the eyes of the beholder. Being a civil servant for some time now, I can say that we are doing relatively well, especially in the education sector, notwithstanding the challenges in our midst. For argument’s sake, Omusati region performed above average during the 2024 Namibia Senior Secondary Certificate and Advanced Subsidiary, respectively. That is testimony enough to consolidate the hard work narrative,” he said. 

He added: “Big ups/kudos to us, though, for the job well done in Omusati region. This exhibits that the bar is being raised high to excel, which is fuelled by resource availability, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, leadership and management, supervision, positive attitude, teamwork, induction – and the list is endless”. 

Shikalepo remarked: “i f government machinery is not always well oiled to expedite systems, processes and policies, it can contribute to bureaucracy and cumbersomeness, which are birds of a feather flock together with inefficiency and unproductivity”. 

He said it is difficult for him to put a timeline on how long he plans to work for the government because one never knows what the future holds. 

-lnashuuta@gmail.com