Arts and Culture

LPM calls on learners to seek remedy in courts over exams suspension

Eba Kandovazu THE Landless People’s Movement (LPM) says it is prepared to support parents and guardians of Grade 11 and 12 learners who intend to legally challenge the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture. This about this ministry’s decision to cancel examinations and have them re-written next year after question papers were leaked in the Oshana region. Yesterday the ministry announced that three police cases have been opened and ten suspects subsequently arrested. Executive Director (ED) in the ministry, Sanet Steenkamp, says eight of the suspects were released on bail while two, foreigners, are still in police custody. Only visually…
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Schools to re-open August 4

Schools to re-open August 4

Staff Writer Schools meant to resume face-to-face learning later this month will now start their classes on 4 August, the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture has revealed. All learners from pre-primary to Grade 9 and Grades 10 to advanced subsidiary learners (AS) who were to start classes on 26 July and 19 July respectively, will now be back in classes on 4 August, despite President Hage Geingob last week warning that according to expert opinion, the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic could yet reach its peak in August. “Expert projections and simulation tools indicate that the rising incidence…
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Tightening of teaching requirements mooted

Tightening of teaching requirements mooted

Andrew Kathindi and Rose-Mary Haufiku The Namibia National Teachers Union (Nantu) says the proposed regulatory body for teachers will address a deficiency in the quality of teaching in the country. During his state of the nation address recently, President Hage Geingob stated that to address the plight of the youth, Government will “establish a Teachers’ Professional Regulatory Body to improve the quality of training of Educators and prescribe minimum standards for the Profession.” Nantu, Secretary General, Loide Shaanika, said “Yes. In fact, those are some of aspects. We need to look at how to improve the standards in providing quality…
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Boarding, High schools fingered for spiking COVID-19 cases

Boarding, High schools fingered for spiking COVID-19 cases

Kandjemuni Kamuiiri Boarding and high schools have been fingered as the main culprits in the spread of Covid-19, amid a spike in learner cases, the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture has revealed. “We want to determine why there is such a high spike in the number of learners, because we find that it’s mostly in boarding schools. But we also want to see what it is that the schools are doing right and what it is that they need to improve,” the Ministry’s Executive Director (ED), Sanet Steenkamp, said adding that disregard for COVID-19 regulations was found to be…
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Education ministry faces 5124 classroom backlog

Education ministry faces 5124 classroom backlog

Maria Hamutenya The Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture Executive Director (ED), Sanet Steenkamp, says the continued growth in the student population has resulted in a classroom backlog of 5 124 classrooms nationally. According to the ministry’s figures, as of 2019, the 14 regions had a total of 26, 090 classrooms, of which 22, 461 are permanent classrooms, 1 426 prefabricated classrooms from non-conventional material, and 2003 traditional structures constructed by the parents or by the school and 200 higher classrooms all together. “The backlog is also considering the growth in the learner population of at least three percent per…
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Education ministry still in repetition conundrum

Education ministry still in repetition conundrum

Helena Johannes The Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture is yet to pronounce itself on the matter of learners repeating their grades next year should they fail their end of the year assessments. This comes after certain learners, particularly those in Khomas region, have not received any face-to-face teaching since schools were first closed during the state of emergency proclaimed by President Hage Geingob in March, with classes having only resumed this week. Acting Director of Programmes and Quality Assurance at the Education Ministry, Ayesha Wentworth said the constant U-turns made by the Ministry since the beginning of the pandemic…
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Nghipondoka draws the line ahead of announcement

Nghipondoka draws the line ahead of announcement

…as teachers unions meet Andrew Kathindi The Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture has maintained its announcement on the final stage of the resumption of face to face teaching on Friday will not be swayed by teachers unions. This comes as the ministry and unions have found themselves on opposing ends on various occasions when it comes to class resumptions, with the Namibia National Teachers Union (NANTU) and other unions held up in consultations Thursday, amid indications that they want to call for the suspension of all face-to-face teaching. The final phase of face-to-face teaching includes the grade 8 to…
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Walvis Bay, Swakop classes to resume

Walvis Bay, Swakop classes to resume

Staff Writer Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture has announced that face-to-face classes for grade 11 and 12 in Walvis Bay, Swakopmund and Arandis will resume on Monday, the 20th of July despite rising cases of COVID-19 in some of the towns. Walvis Bay is currently the epicenter of COVID-19 cases in the country with 40 out of the 46 cases recorded on Friday being from the costal town. On Wednesday, of the 72 new cases recorded, two were from Swakopmund and 68 were from Walvis Bay. Executive Director in the Education ministry, Sanet Steenkamp said although the return of…
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Education Ministry absolves liability for student contractions

Education Ministry absolves liability for student contractions

…as it remains adamant on schools re-opening Andrew Kathindi The Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture is adamant on re-opening schools amidst the announcement of three new positive cases of COVID-19 and but maintains it will not be held responsible should students contract the virus at school. Minister of Health and Social Services, Dr Kalumbi Shangula on Wednesday announced the country had recorded three new cases, the latest being a 39-year old man who traveled from South Africa and this comes on the backdrop of the Ministry of Education announcing its plans to re-open schools in four stages beginning on…
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N$500m required for e-learning

N$500m required for e-learning

Andrew Kathindi The Ministry of Education needs N$500 million to fully implement its e-learning needs to cater for learners whose normal learning schedule has been disrupted by COVID-19. Deputy Director of Information Technology in the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture, Johan van Wyk, told Windhoek Observer that the ministry has submitted a request to government for a COVID-19 stimulus package and has also submitted a request within its normal ministry budget process. “For an end-to-end package and what we would need for all solutions, not just data, although internet will be the most important part, we are looking at…
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