Medusalem Jairus
The title of this piece of writing greatly expresses the current trending discussion in the country and I think everybody is pretty much familiar with it by now. However, I was a bit ignorant regarding this, until I listened to Shipi FM’s radio programme titled “Omaliudo a mbwalangadja” one night. I presume this is a programme where participants come in, to openly discuss their feelings or opinions regarding certain topics. I listened to this programme from the beginning to the end that night and I must say, 99% of the participants discussed the topic of the new Namibian education system. Additionally, most of the speakers were parents, affected or not.
To that end, I have decided to put my contributions on this topic in black and white, in fact, to discuss how the newly established Namibian education system is a total mess.
Following its establishment, the new Namibian education system, excluding tertiary education has brought nothing, but so many jumbles, from the learners to the parents and the public. The recently released grade 11 results see over 80% of learners not qualifying for grade 12 or the Advanced Subsidiary (AS) level as it is of late called and there are tight restrictions as to which learners are eligible to repeat the grade. One of the most complained restrictions was the age limit, lately announced by the education minister. She detailed that, for one to repeat grade 11 on a full-time basis, they should at least be 17-years old or younger by the 31st of December 2022. This has thus led to a lot of complaints, questions and hostile reactions from most of the public members, mostly parents since they are the key stakeholders, following the learners.
Before the new education system was established, a high number of failed learners have already been introduced to the streets for the past years. Some of them are still struggling to make ends meet and some of them had given up on life and become part of the criminal communities.
Yet again this year, most of the learners will have to unwillingly go to the streets or stay home due to this unsuccessful and incompetent education system. I am personally not okay with an 18-year old child going home or in the streets as it is referred to, for not being allowed to repeat grade 11 due to the new education alterations. Such learners are still far from the adult stage and they must at least be given a chance to repeat the grade.
I understand parents are advised to enrol their unsuccessful kids in institutions like Namcol, Tucsin, Elite and others to improve their subjects, however, these institutions are also said to be costly. While listening to the radio programme I mentioned earlier, I singled out a speaker who claimed to be a parent. He said he has a kid who is 18 years old this year and since the kid failed, she is not allowed to repeat.
The parent further claimed that he really does not know what to do with his kid since he is not employed and cannot afford to pay for improvement institutions like the aforementioned. What happens then to this child’s future and to other more kids whose scenario is the same? I think it is better to have a high number of unemployed graduates than to have a high number of grade 11 forced dropouts in the country.
The youth is the future and they must have a say in their education too. Additionally, the parents must have their opinions and cries heard since they are the significant stakeholders. In all honesty, the government or the ministry of education should just agree that the system they established had really failed the learners, the parents and the general public.
The system is in a total mess and actions should be taken as soon as possible before more and more children are pushed into the streets. Policies and amendments fail in different scopes and in various countries and it is very much normal although unlikely, thus it should be acknowledged that this new Namibian education system is indeed a failure.
I do not know how much inconvenience this will bring, but whatever it is going to take, the new system should be dumped while it is still early. Why should a system everybody is complaining about be kept?