Salomo Ndeyamunye yaNdeshimona
As a curriculum study student, I had a chance to analyze the revised broad curriculum of Namibia that was implemented as from 2015. With my understanding and acquaintance to one aspect of promotional requirements, I could not help but wonder. The curriculum is marred with so many pitfalls that we foresee our learner falling through, thereby ending up in the street as usual.
Despite that this curriculum was devised by fellow experts, who supposedly have made a consultation with other change agent and agencies of the curriculum such as teachers’ college and universities that train teachers and other varsities where the learners will be furthering their studies, I could not help but notice that there is a mismatch in the entry curriculum to many universities, and the promotional requirement for learners doing Grade 10-11.
Recently, the Unam vice chancellor made a suggestion that aspiring student teachers’ entry requirement will be increased to 35 points in five subjects. A learner doing Grade 10 this year will write their national exam next year 2020, which supposedly would take them to vocational school or university. Their current minimum passing requirement is a 40 percent average or an E symbol in five subjects, with English and Mathematics being one of the five.
That will amass to just 15 points of which E symbol makes up only three points. A university like Unam requires a student to have a minimum requirement of 25 points with a C in English and Mathematics, though different course differs. My concern is the current minimum requirement falls way below the minimum requirement at universities. Thus this could lead so many students into the streets, and thereby increase unemployment further.
Despite that, I believe those doing pre-vocational subjects might get the chance to venture into vocational studies, yet these are the minority. I believe the curriculum panel has oversight on this, or perhaps us the teachers have underestimated them. Many teachers are unhappy as they see this leading to further economic challenges, as it could mean school graduates will not make it to university, thus culminating into wastage. Learners that are to graduate from the system come 2020 are made to be guinea pigs and sacrificial lambs in this way. Worse with the near junk status economy, unemployemnet will soar, and crime rate will intensify. It also seems like the curriculum panelists have not done a thorough consultation with agents of curriculum change in the name of teachers and other non-actors or universities and tertiary institution. If this was a case, Unam would be a leading unit, thus an announcement of intenton to increase minmum requirement for teacher wanna be to 35 points will not wobble us now. The institutions of higher learning should have raised the issue of mismatch between minimum promotion requirement and admission requirement at universities.
The way forward lie here that hopefully curriculum panellist at Nied would pick this error up and address it to either increase the minimum requirement to the level of a learner at least attaining requirement closer to the minimum requirement at various universities. Either way, the university might also need to consider lowering their entry requirements.
I mean at this age and time, we are educating global learners, who can be admitted at neighbouring countries university and anywhere in the world, like in South Africa. One the other hand, while hoping for this, we as educators shall ensure that we encourage our learner to choose their vocation course they wish to do now, and ensure that their performance can match them with their desired university of further learning. Our internal policy on promotion should also be benchmarked to that of reputable universities, and be increased to suit globalisation. We should also maximize our efforts to give more career guidance to our learner so that they can easily map out their desired vocation beforehand so that they do more to achieve these minimum requirements.
Salomo Ndeyamunye yaNdeshimona
Is a Curriculum Study Master Student at the Midland State University of Zimbabwe
P.o. Box 30030, Onanklai South Namibia
Email: ndeshimonasn@hotmail.com
Cell: +26484395336