KEETMANSHOOP – With the resumption of the academic year on Monday for 2025, New Era visited some schools to gauge the mood among learners, teachers and parents.
Bruce Mutema, a grade 11 learner at PK de Villiers Secondary School, could hardly wait for this very important day in his life.
“This is the year that will determine my future. It will all depend on my academic performance, as I selected subjects at the higher, more challenging Advanced Subsidiary (AS) level. This can guarantee me admission to top universities,” he enthused.
He continued: “It is my future plan to be qualified as a software engineer. I will need to work extra hard, and give my full commitment to my studies to realise my vision”.
He is, however, adamant to enrol next year for the AS-level.
“Currently, I share a room in the hostel with some of our top performers. That inspired and motivated me to prove a point,” he added.
Another grade 8 learner at the school, Lerato Goliath, said she feels like moving into a totally new environment.
“I did, however, meet new friends. It is great to mingle and share our expectations for the year,” she said.
She shared that she intends to make the best of this opportunity to make her parents proud with excellent examination results during the year.
Veteran teacher Lorraine Rooi at Krönlein Primary School said to ease learners’ adaptability to the environment, they held a ‘meet the teacher’ night towards the end of 2024.
“During this event, learners and parents meet the teacher to whose classroom the students were allocated. As a result, the atmosphere was more relaxed during the first day of school,” she stated.
Rooi went on to say the school has a five-week readiness programme in place for the new grade one learners to bring all on par.
“We have some of these children coming from pre-primary school, having an advantage over those who just came straight from home. Hence, the respective teachers are preparing all on the same level with exercises such as differentiating colours and shapes, math, spelling as well as hand-to-eye coordination exercises to make the official teaching part easier, with no learner left behind,” she detailed.
She is also the junior secondary level head of department.
The educator revealed that they currently have four teaching vacancies.
The interviews are scheduled for this Friday.