Frans Filipe Kandjilu is a highly-qualified public school teacher. 

He holds a Master’s degree in Educational Sciences, with a focus on leadership and administration, from the University of Nicosia, obtained in 2014. He also holds an Honours degree in Upper Primary Education from the University of Namibia, obtained in 2015.

Soon after his graduation from the University of Namibia, Kandjilu joined the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture as a teacher. He currently teaches at the Ruben Mkaranga Combined School, located on the outskirts of Rundu in the Kavango East region.

“Being a teacher is a position I hold in government, and within this, my responsibilities are to teach, facilitate learning by assessing progress and evaluating my practices, guide, motivate, inspire and care for the learners. Mentoring the Learners’ Representative Council and other varying delegated tasks by my supervisors, principal and other colleagues are also part of the many responsibilities assigned to me,” he noted.

As a result, Kandjilu encourages teachers to diversify and expand teaching to the larger community through community services in order for schools to improve their pass rates. The role of parents’ involvement in their children’s education is also very crucial, and needs to be understood. 

“I never decided to join public service, but my education degree dictated for me to work in the public service. It’s unfortunate that teaching was not part of my long list of work-related dreams I once had, but choosing to work for the government or not crossed my mind as by then finding a job was the goal that needed to be attained, and not necessarily in government or the private sector,” the father of two said about the reason for him being a public servant.

“It is, therefore, fulfilling to know that I am one of the many qualified and trained teachers. So, the learners and the ministry are able to benefit from the knowledge and teaching skills I have acquired over the years because there is and there will never be a teacher like any other”. 

“Every teacher is unique, just like learners exist in their uniqueness. What I know and can offer can never be offered by any other teacher the same way I do.”

Kandjilu said having been able to sacrifice and manage to stand for the learners during the dangerous days of the Covid-19 pandemic is one of his greatest accomplishments.

Also mentoring and empowering learners who once could not stand before others and speak through different school clubs, being able to help learners transition from one grade to the next on merit, and the continuous positive other impacts made on learners, are some of his memorable moments.

Challenges

He perceives that challenges make people grow, and it’s more so when one is found in the public service, especially in the volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous and sacrificial teaching profession.

However, he pinpoints a few challenges, such as teaching learners from diverse backgrounds who have different but amazing sets of skills and abilities, teaching and making a learner who heads a home, who is a parent to one or more children at home, do not know where the next meal in his or her home will come from, to concentrate and pay attention to your lesson.

He also points out the natural spirit of resistance, which according to him “still exists in some colleagues who continue to see change as additional and extra work to their already massive set of responsibilities; working with large class groups of learners in overcrowded classrooms, and hardly managing to pay attention to individual learners who may need extra care, and continued teaching and learning support; and more and more”.

However, he said what is so satisfying is “that feeling of bridging a child’s understanding to what he or she still needs to understand. Also, the fact that not each and every day is fixed. As I mentioned earlier, the job is very volatile and full of uncertainty. This makes one get the opportunity of learning every day”.

Misconceptions  

When asked about his take on the misconception that public institutions are unproductive and inefficient, Kandjilu said “it is true to a certain degree. There are employees who are unproductive and indeed inefficient. The motive may vary from different factors, which are not limited to not respecting one’s work, or those who ought to benefit from your work.

“Making employees understand their jobs could be the answer. However, the issue of being unproductive and inefficient should not be limited to public service employees only, but its existence and effects thereto spill over to every other sector. What’s important, however, is for every employee to personally introspect and self-correct in order to never be unproductive or inefficient in a job or work” he stressed.
Besides teaching, Kandjilu is well-known for public speaking and motivational talks. He offers leadership and management training at different levels in areas such as teenage and adulthood mentorship, and employers and employees’ mentorship.