Gabriel Thomas

Josephina Mwashindange

The Oshikoto education directorate and its stakeholders are pushing for the re-introduction of a trimester system for schools from 2025 onwards.

 Fouty-six participants, including learners, teachers, parents and the public at large, gathered on Monday at Ekulo Secondary School for a regional consultation meeting on the government school calendar for the 2025 academic year.

 The meeting was about concerns and proposals aired around semesters (two terms per year) and trimesters (three terms).

 The concerns of the semester revolve around the length of the semester, fatigue among learners, and difficulty in curriculum planning. 

The trimester concerns revolve around the need to adjust the calendar, leading to learners having their holiday during the cold winter of June or July, minimising examination time, and maximising teaching time.

 Hai/om Traditional Authority vice chairperson Ndapandula Kamati said the trimester is better, as it gives learners time to prepare for exams at the end of the year.

 On her part, the head of the Oshikoto education directorate Aletta Eises urged parents to start monitoring their children, and setting a good example for them.

 “Parents must set a good example for our learners for the best interest of our learners,” she said, noting that the parents are on the ground, and they hold the huge responsibility to uplift and motivate learners to become responsible citizens in the future.

 Eises also pointed out that many Grade 10 learners in the region are transferred to Grade 11 this year, and this might not produce positive results, compared to the previous Grade 11 results that put the region at position four in the 2023 results.

 In 2024, Oshikoto region will have 81 727 learners and 382 teachers in 229 schools. 

Meanwhile, Otjikoto Senior Secondary School teacher Hilde Shigwedha stressed that the current school calendar is flooded.

She pointed out that while the current semester systems take learners off the hook due to mid-term breaks and public holidays, pressure has mounted on teachers when it comes to marking and processing results. 

At the same event, Julius Gaeseb from Tsumeb municipality indicated that the semester is full of extra-curricular activities such as sports, and learners get demoralised in longer terms, resulting in high failures.

“Too many off-days is also a concern, and put us under too much pressure as education stakeholders. So, we urge the ministry to get back to three terms so it reduces the breaks and minimises the off-days,” said Gaeseb.

-  Nampa/MICT

* Josephina Mwashindange is an information officer at MICT Oshikoto.