Petrus Muronga

OTJIWARONGO - The Otjozondjupa directorate of education last week held its 2024 school opening conference here to take stock of the region’s performance last year and devise ways on how to improve this year.

The conference was held at Vooruit Primary School with principals from schools across the region in attendance, including inspectors and other stakeholders.

Acting director of education for the region Uerivangera Tjivikua said the central business of every school is teaching and learning and these activities do not act in themselves, saying “It is not only about teaching and learning. These activities serve to achieve academic excellence or at least satisfactory academic results”. He further stressed that challenges imbedded in the process of teaching and learning are so grave that the failure rate at some of the schools exceed 80% in certain subjects.

“We are shocked at the end of the year when learners did not make it; did not pass that particular subject. In some cases, we also come across situations whereby close to 80% of learners did not progress from one grade to the next. We can no longer turn a blind eye to this kind of phenomenon, and that is why this conference is important,” stated Tjivikua.

Otjozondjupa governor James Uerikua, in his keynote address, urged the participants to redouble their efforts and draw inspiration from the success stories found within the education fraternity of the region. 

The governor said the gathering serves as a crucial platform for educators to collectively embark on a journey of preparing for the new academic year, building on the successes of 2023 and addressing areas that require improvement.

“The conference serves as a reflection on the achievements and shortcomings of the past academic year. The results analyses have provided us with valuable insights, showcasing both areas of excellence and those that demand our immediate attention.

I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the schools and subjects that excelled in 2023. Your dedication and hard work have not gone unnoticed,” said Uerikua.

In last year’s national grade 11 and AS level examinations, the Otjozondjupa region was ranked in the 7th position, nationally, compared to 2022 when it was ranked 5th countrywide.

This year, only 569 learners qualified for the National Senior Secondary Certificate Subsidiary Level, translating to a 5.5%.

* Petrus Muronga is a media officer for the MICT in the Otjozondjupa region.