2015-02-27Staff Report 2 WINDHOEK - The Director of the Namibian College of Open Learning (Namcol) has revealed that all the priority fields of study at the institution are fully booked, as many students opted to upgrade in those subjects. Biology, Physical Science, Mathematics and English are the subjects that are on high demand, while English has been topping the list over the years. “They are the most study fields that are fully occupied, and last year we had over 15 000 students doing English and we are predicting that this year it will be more than 18 000,” said Heroldt Murangi, the Director of Namcol. Murangi said that many students have registered with Namcol to improve their English symbols since they performed poorly in their Grade 12 national examinations last year. Further, he explained that not many learners obtained a C symbol, which qualifies one to enrol for tertiary education. “We also have limited capacity when it comes to enrolment just like any other institutions and we don’t have control over how many learners will come out at the secondary schools,” said Murangi. He said last year, about 37 000 learners registered and this year the number could rise to 40 000. However, he said, “We are not sure about the final figures because the due date of the registration is next week Monday. But the demand is high since there are so many people coming to Windhoek for greener pastures.” He encouraged Namcol students to study hard in order for them to make space for others, who also wish to upgrade their subjects. He said one of the main challenges they face is that students who register at Namcol often do not take their studies seriously and they end up failing, which leads to them enrolling many times. “Students ask for opportunities and they throw them away. We provide them with face-to-face teaching but when you visit the classrooms there is no single person,” noted Murangi. He said for now, “There is nothing we can do, we have to wait until the registration period is over. The enrolment is ending next week Monday and from there then we see if there are enough materials left, but we don’t foresee any reprinting taking place.” However, he said if there are enough materials and there is space left, then Namcol will cater for more students.v 2015-02-27Staff Report 2
