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Home / Hanse-Himarwa slams doctors for teacher book-offs
Hanse-Himarwa slams doctors for teacher book-offs
2018-03-19Staff Report 2 Eveline de Klerk Swakopmund-Minister of Education Arts and Culture, Katrina Hanse-Himarwa, has lashed out at medical doctors, who book off teachers for unnecessarily long periods. She was addressing principal of schools in that Erongo Region on Thursday during her official visit to Swakopmund. The minister said teacher absenteeism is worrisome and a concern for the ministry with learners at the receiving end. According to her, greedy medical doctors, who dish out sick notes without considering the consequences of their actions, assist such high and unnecessary absenteeism. “A lack of action from all role-players, including from head of schools inspectors of education and human resource officers are also fuelling this absenteeism. We have noticed cases of staff members who are on sick leave since 2016 but are still receiving a full salary in some instances these cases are not even reported to the ministry,” said Hanse-Himarwa. She also accused such medical doctors of enticing teachers to such an extent that they ask whether the teacher wants to be booked off. “They, medical doctors, are even enticing the teachers by asking whether they want to be booked off and for how long. It is about time that these so-called doctors are exposed and shamed. How can you book off a person that you see is well, at the expense of the children? Yet the blame comes to us when ungraded results come at the end of the year,” she said. She added that such tendencies are uncalled for and negatively impact the teaching and learning process with learners the biggest losers. She appealed to principals to handle and record leave in such a way that persons are accountable for their accounts. We really need to have better control over these things are rooted out from the ministry,” she said. 2018-03-19Staff Report 2
