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Home / Hanse-Himarwa condemns teachers taking selfies in class
Hanse-Himarwa condemns teachers taking selfies in class
2016-02-22Staff Report 2 Windhoek The Minister of Education, Arts and Culture Katrina Hanse-Himarwa has strongly condemned teachers who steal government time to take selfies in classrooms. There has been a growing trend of teachers posting selfies on social media while in class. Teachers even go to the extent of posing with learners in class, while cellphones are not allowed during teaching and learning hours. Some learners from a Windhoek school who spoke to New Era on condition of anonymity said their teachers occasionally ask them to take pictures of them posing in class. Many fear that such behaviour could lead to love affairs between learner and teacher, if teachers continue to expose themselves like that in front of their learners, while they are supposed to be exemplary. The minister condemned such behaviour, saying it’s unacceptable and must end. “That’s unacceptable. Teachers must not use their cellphones in class at all. The principals must work out a measure to control the use of cellphones on school grounds by both children and teachers,” she said. Hanse-Himarwa who is a teacher by profession said she found a Grade 6 teacher last week busy on a cellphone while learners were idling unattended to, at a school in Okahandja. “Teachers must get real and be responsible,” she said. Although, the ministry does not allow the use of cellphones during school hours, some of Namibia’s best performing schools such as Negumbo Senior Secondary School in the north has totally banned the use of cellphones. The principal, Iiyambo Alugongo, was quoted as saying: “These young ones will not concentrate on their lessons if we allow them to have phones. They will also not sleep. They will be chatting all night as is happening in our homes.” Opinions are however divided on whether cellphone use by learners and teachers should be allowed at school. While some parents admit that the revolutionary device is a vital tool for communication, others believe its use during school time is a luxury. 2016-02-22Staff Report 2
