KATIMA MULILO – The Director of Education in the Zambezi Region, Austin Samupwa, is happy with the strategies put in place to improve academic performance at schools in the region.
The Zambezi Region attained a 53 percent pass rate last year putting the region at position six nationwide despite the region having set a benchmark of 65 percent pass rate. The region, however, performed rather well, with Grade 12 higher grade results moving from position six to an impressive second.
Samupwa noted that school visits have continued and learners were compelled to skip the August holiday in order to allow for revision.
“The inspectorate and advisory services started visiting schools since day one. The regional management team has been following up on individual schools where reports were received to again emphasize the standards required. These standards were once again reviewed after the April test results. As we speak, all schools with Grades 10 and 12 did not go for holiday, as they are busy with guided revision,” Samupwa told New Era in an interview.
As part of efforts to bolster educational infrastructure, he said many schools are on the verge of refurbishment, including the construction of a modernised teachers’ resource centre.
“Those schools that need renovation have their bills of quantities being finalised. In the past week, my office hosted a consultant appointed to construct a new, bigger and modern teachers’ resource centre. We are finalising the issue of land allocation with the Zambezi Regional Council. The idea is to fast track so that construction can commence in January or February 2015,” he said.
He further noted about 10 hostels are to be constructed in remote schools of the region in order to ease accommodation woes faced by many learners, who are compelled to travel long distances to attend school.
“There are two new hostels that are on documentation stage whose feasibility studies were concluded in the last financial year that is Ndoro Memorial and Schuckmansburg. We expect that once documentation is completed, construction should commence still in this financial year. The next two hostels on our priority [list] are Batubaja and Lusese. It must be emphasised that all 10 hostels will be constructed but in phases,” further stated the education director.
Learners with physical disabilities have also not been left out, with plans to construct a special school replete with handicap facilities, he said.
“We received approval for the construction of a modern, comprehensive school whose feasibility study will be conducted this year. This school will have all grades, with special facilities for physically challenged learners,” Samupwa said.
The directorate has also partnered with the Rössing Foundation to capacitate teachers to improve in the teaching of English, Mathematics, Physical Science and Biology.