ONGWEDIVA – The Omusati Regional Education Directorate is expected to place over 200 learners who were rejected at schools because they were over-age for admission in Grade 9.
According to the education director in Omusati Region, Laban Shapange, some of the overage learners who were turned down at some schools for placement are those who have repeated grades at the same phase.
“It is an undisputed fact that some learners were made to repeat grades 8 and 9 because some schools feared that they will compromise the school’s ranking at the end of Grade 10. Some learners started school late, while others had previously dropped out, hence we are finding ourselves with learners who are two to three years older than the learners who are rightly in Grade 9. But the region has taken a stand and we are going to ensure that all such learners are placed as soon as possible,” said Shapange.
According to Shapange, no learner should have repeated the same phase twice hence all such learners would be accommodated.
“When a leaner fails once at junior secondary phase they ought to have been promoted, but the next teacher made known of that particular learner’s weakness so that they could be helped to progress further,” said Shapange.
Shapange said the region is going to take vigorous measures to see how best to assist such learners through a learning support programme.
“As teachers and as a directorate we must collectively ensure that our struggling learners receive additional assistance so that they too can progress further academically,” said Shapange.
In addition to the rejected learners, the region is further looking into amicable solutions to place the learners who did not report themselves at the schools where they were placed.
Shapange said some learners did not report to school because they were placed at schools far from their parental homes hence some are struggling to find accommodation.
The director said the directorate has taken a regional tour and is aware of the challenges still faced, but assured that it is hard at work to find amicable solutions. He said the region is also hard at work to ensure that all its Grade 10 learners are accommodated in the hostel.