Over 150 teachers from various schools in the Khomas region were recognised on Tuesday for their outstanding performance during the 2022 academic year.
The region’s learners took third position on the national rankings for the National Senior Secondary Certificate Ordinary (NSSCO) exams and seventh position for the National Senior Secondary Certificate Advanced Subsidiary (NSSCAS) for the 2022 academic year.
Three schools from the Khomas region, namely Delta Secondary School Windhoek, Windhoek High School and Saint Joseph RC were also amongst the top 20 NSSCO secondary State schools’ best achievers nationwide – securing the 11th, 13th and 16th positions, respectively.
Khomas had two candidates amongst the NSSCO top achievers, and four candidates amongst the NSSCAS best achievers for 2022.
Regional governor Laura McLeod-Katjirua said despite the much-debated 2022 performances and various challenges such as the annual hectic enrolments, overcrowded classrooms, lack of textbooks, and the dominating tent schools in the region, they still managed to perform exceptionally well.
“At the beginning of this year, we were in a very critical situation of the announcement of the different results that reflected our performance as a region. We were subjected to open criticisms, personal attacks, name-calling, stone-throwing, blame-games and biased verdicts or conclusions, but that time is over and gone,” she added.
McLeod-Katjirua said as the head of the region, the award-giving ceremony is a sign of her gratitude, praise and blessings for the recognised and honoured awardees for a job well done. The awards ceremony should also be an encouragement to them do more, and must serve as an inspiration and motivation for others to emulate.
“These admirable academic achievements must serve as a constant motivation to give us the willpower and drive to continue prioritising the improvement of our learning and teaching environment, as well as the development of policies and special programmes that will add value and quality to education in our region,” the governor noted.
Also speaking at the awards ceremony was regional education director Paulus Nghikembua, who said teaching is not an ordinary task, but a noble calling which requires a profound understanding of one’s responsibility, obligations and accountability.
“As educators, you hold the future of our nation in your hands, and I stand here today to acknowledge the tremendous responsibility that comes with this privilege,” he stated.
Nghikembua challenged all teachers to embrace the right attitudes, stay informed through research, collaborate with fellow educators, and set ambitious goals.
He further encouraged teachers to work together to create a high-performance culture which will not only benefit schools, but also uplift the entire region.
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