Ndumba J Kamwanyah, writing in The Namibian edition of 12th August 2016, touched on the selection of 25 talented pupils by the First Lady’s One Economy Foundation. The pupils received scholarships and are to be enrolled in the high-end schools in the country.
While the author has appreciated the above, it seems that he is not happy as he concluded – let us adopt the principle of “no student should be left behind”.
The concern of the author can be treated as valid. However, there are two concerns for the readers. First, apart from meritocracy, there is another serious or burning concern in education in Namibia. Second and most importantly, he has not elaborated on how to work on the basis of – let us adopt the principle of “no student should be left behind”.
My first concern is based on one of the pillars of the One Economy Foundation which is “Integrated Early Childhood Development and Talent Identification” and Education For All (The World Declaration on Education For All at Jomtien, Thailand-1990). One Economy Foundation has selected 25 talented pupils and they will be supported for successful completion of their courses of studies in the chosen areas.
It should be noted that One Economy Foundation has been established in terms of the Companies Act, based on Section 21. It is thus a voluntary association. As a result, the purpose is not to generate profit or gain, but to improve the overall welfare of the people, or community development. One Economy Foundation has four-year economic development plans or strategies that will be financed by donor support. This is important because the government cannot afford to finance the full cost of development endeavours due to limited resources.
Recently, the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture launched the “Out of School Children Report” which highlights the challenge of dropouts from the school system in Namibia. According to this report, over 100,000 Namibian children are currently out of school and approximately 99,200 pupils are at risk of dropping out of school in the country. The above is an unfortunate situation which is totally unexpected as primary and secondary education is free in Namibia.
As I understood, as a principle or top priority, the GRN’s concern for education is not in question.
However, the issue is that the principle or priority is not being implemented to generate the expected outcomes. As a result, over 100,000 Namibian children are currently out of school. There is no need to state the long-term impact of the above situation. In light of the above, before the concern for meritocracy, our objective should be the above-mentioned 100,000 Namibian children. It is essential that government should not only ensure Education For All but also that all students stay in school until they finish their full courses of education.
Regarding this, it is essential that the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture deal with the above-mentioned five obstacles and others. Intellectuals, academics and organizations that are interested and keen to participate and contribute to the GRN’s endeavour can do so on a voluntary basis, having close dialogue with the government in order to formulate relevant and results-orientated policies and their effective implementation.
Second, only the expressed concern for meritocracy is not sufficient at all. Author must have suggested solution(s) to meritocracy concerns or how government or any other organization should work on the basis of let us adopt the principle of “no student should be left behind”. In other words, we can adopt the principle but at the same time we need to pursue the principle with application to generate the expected results. Unfortunately, he has not elaborated on the above. Furthermore, the author has stated: “The meritocracy mind assumes that learners who failed or struggle are unteachable, therefore deserve to fail because they lack talent, motivation and the ethics of hard work and study.”
I should indicate that the above-mentioned assumption has nothing to do with the selection of 25 talented pupils by the Foundation. Before the Foundation discussed and concluded to select and offer all assistance to 25 talented pupils, the Foundation had convincing reasons do so with its mission together with limited resources. However, we cannot expect a volunteer organization like One Economy Foundation to assist pupils on the basis of let us adopt the principle of “no student should be left behind”.