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Home / Ministry to raise minimum pass requirements
Ministry to raise minimum pass requirements
2016-02-01Staff Report 2 Mariental - The bar is set to be raised on the minimum pass requirements for both grades 10 and 12 from the 23 points in six subjects that are currently required. The Minister of Education, Arts and Culture, Katrina Hanse-Himarwa, says her ministry is striving towards quality grades and thus the requirement should be raised to encourage learners to do more and not focus on just obtaining 23 points. She revealed this while addressing learners, teachers and parents on Saturday during a community education day organised as a way to celebrate her birthday with the Hardap community. At the meeting she said plans are underway to review the minimum pass rate for both Grade 10 and Grade 12. The minimum F symbol for English as a compulsory subject will also be looked at as she feels the current standard is too low. Despite 46 percent of Grade 10 learners failing to obtain the minimum 23 points during the 2015 examination, Hanse-Himarwa says making it higher will ensure learners work hard and aim for quality grades, adding: “We can’t lower ourselves.” “We will be changing the 23, but I’m just preparing you to let you know it’s coming,” she told the meeting without specifying when this change will come into effect or what the new minimum requirements will be. The announcement was immediately received with mixed feelings as some nodded in agreement, while some were visibly not in support of the idea. The former Hardap regional governor said the change is needed as it’s time to change education’s status quo and move to the next level, where all learners and teachers aim for quality grades and not the minimum to just jump over to another grade. She said high performance is possible if learners, teachers and parents do their part, adding that the government has done its part by providing free education and it’s now up to learners to study and produce good grades. She pointed out the importance of leadership at schools and urged principals to provide leadership, saying it is the core of any good institution. “If a leader is clumsy, redundant, visionless and useless then nothing will become of that institution,” she said. She further encouraged people to invest in their children’s education, explaining it’s the best investment anyone can ever make because education is the only tool that can really eradicate poverty. She also revealed that as of May this year the first 1000 under-qualified and unqualified teachers will be identified country-wide to be enrolled at Unam as a start to her ministry’s in-training programme. Hanse-Himarwa pledged full support to her education team in terms of infrastructural development and other essential areas to ensure better education for the Namibian child. “For my education team I pledge full support. I’m ready to walk with you, I’m ready to change the status quo, are you ready?” she said. 2016-02-01Staff Report 2
