Easy access at the tip of your fingers, subscribe to our daily ePaper version of our New Era Newspaper.
Home / More than 200,000 enrolled in secondary school
More than 200,000 enrolled in secondary school
2017-04-10Staff Report 2 Albertina Nakale Windhoek-Enrolment in the secondary education phase has shown a marked increase from 195,726 learners in 2015 to 208,423 pupils in 2016. The number is estimated to have risen to 215,000 in 2017 and takes up 30 percent of the education budget. This was revealed last week in the National Assembly by Minister of Education, Arts and Culture Minister Katrina Hanse-Himarwa during her N$11.97 billion budget motivation for the 2017/18 financial year. She noted that out of the total budget, an amount of N$3.44 billion has been allocated to the secondary education programme. She highlighted that the programme extends the learners’ knowledge and skills and strengthens their values and attitudes, while preparing them for further education, training and young adult life. Further, she said it provides opportunities for learners to acquire the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes for the development of self and the society and helps build a foundation for technological and industrial development. The education ministry surpassed the targets set out in the Harambee Prosperity Plan (HPP) as the ministry recorded a 50 percent of Grade 10 learners, achieving 24-point score and above in six subjects, surpassing the 48 percent target, she noted. Equally, the ministry recorded an increase of 31 percent of Grade 12 learners who obtained 25 points and above in six subjects, thus surpassing the 30 percent HPP target. Moreover, the minister said primary education enrolment also increased from 442,729 learners in 2015 to 499,455 in 2016. In primary education, she said, teaching, learning and assessment take up about 59 percent of the operational budget. An amount of N$729.62 million has been allocated to primary education for the 2017/18 financial year. She noted that the programme develops essential literacy, numeracy and life skills, aimed at instilling self-confidence and self-worth through personal and social development to promote the growth and development of each learner as an individual and as a member of the school and society. Primary education also establishes a solid foundation for learning and understanding core areas of knowledge and personal development, helps prepare learners for junior secondary education and by the end of the primary phase, learners have developed learning skills and basic knowledge in all key learning areas, she said. Pre-primary education is the foundation of all educational achievements and the expansion of pre-school services means that this year roughly half all learners that entered Grade 1 would have been in pre-primary school, the minister observed. N$167,93 million has been allocated to the pre-primary education programme for this financial year. 2017-04-10Staff Report 2
