Ministry of Education

Private Bag 13186, Windhoek, Tel. +264-61-293-3111 Fax. +264-61-224-277

When Namibia became independent on 21 March 1990, education in the country was best characterised by a number of features as follows:

1.      fragmentation of education along racial and ethnic lines; 

2.      unequal access to education and training at all levels of the education system;

3.      inefficiency in terms of low progression and achievement rates, and high wastage rates; 

4.      irrelevance of the curriculum and teacher education programmes to the needs and aspirations of individuals and the nation; and

5.      lack of democratic participation within the education and training system. 

 Teachers, parents, administrators and workers were largely excluded from the decision-making process in education. There was also an extremely unequal financial resource allocation in education based on the eleven ethnic authority systems which were operational before independence. Soon after independence one unified education system was created to provide education to the Namibian nation on an equitable basis. 

The Ministry Of Basic Education, Sport And Culture  was established by amalgamating the eleven second-tier educational and cultural services into one unified national structure. The new Ministry Of Basic Education, Sport And Culture  established a head office in the capital and six regional education offices. The unification of the formerly separate educational administrations resulted at first in an establishment consisting of 2419 administrative and management posts. A rationalisation process was carried out in 1993 resulting in the reduction of the posts to 1753. However, most of the staff members who were declared redundant by this exercise are still serving as additional staff to the establishment of the ministry. The restructuring exercise in the ministry also led to the split of the Ondangwa Education region into two, bringing the number of regional education offices to seven. In 1995, the Ministry of Education and Culture was split into the Ministry of Basic Education and Culture, and the Ministry of Higher Education, Vocational Training, Science and Technology. 

The Ministry of Basic Education and Culture’s structure is composed of the office of the permanent secretary, whose objective is to co-ordinate the activities of the ministry and ensure that the ministry provides education to Namibians and enhances cultural rights of individuals in line with Article 20 of the country’s Constitution. The structure of the ministry is further divided into the Department of Formal Education Programmes and the Department of Culture and Life-long Learning (adult and non-formal education).  

The objective of the Department of Formal Education Programmes is to co-ordinate, implement and monitor all formal education activities. This department is made up of the following directorates:

1.      Directorate of National Examination and Assessment whose objective is to provide an examination, assessment and certification service to enhance the quality of the national education system;

2.      Directorate of Education Programme Implementation whose objective is to organise, co-ordinate, monitor and control the implementation of educational programmes at national level;

3.      Directorate Inspectorate and Advisory Services whose objective is to train, develop and assess school and hostel personnel to ensure the efficient and effective management of educational programmes and services;

4.      Special Education Programmes whose objective is to determine policies and develop programmes to establish and maintain opportunities for children with special needs. 

 The objective for the Department of Culture and Life-long Learning is to provide and promote adult basic education, arts and culture and library support to schools and community.  This department is made up of the following directorates:

1.      Directorate of Adult Basic Education whose objective is to provide and promote adult basic education and continuing education to adults and early school leavers;

2.      Directorate of Arts and Culture whose objective is to preserve, promote, develop and enhance arts and culture for the benefit of all;

3.      Directorate of Library and Archives Services whose objective is to facilitate access to, and promote the use of all sources of information for the purposes of education, research and recreation. 

The Namibia College of Open Learning (NAMCOL) became a parastatal on 1 April 1998. Its objective is to render educational services to learners who could not complete their junior or senior secondary phase in formal schooling.

In addition, the Directorate of National Institute for Educational Development was created to develop and maintain the quality and scope of basic, secondary, and basic teacher education; and the Directorate of Planning and Development develops goals, policy options, strategies and plans for the activities of the ministry. The Directorate of General Services renders financial, personnel and support services.

The seven education regions effectively manage educational and cultural activities in the region in accordance with national guidelines and regional needs. The ministry is also working on the decentralisation plan aimed at decentralising some of its services to regional and local level authorities.

To carry out its responsibilities, as stipulated in Article 20 in relation to education and Article 19 in relation to culture in the Constitution, the ministry developed its policy, “Towards Education For All: A Development Brief For Education, Culture and Training”, to guide it in the process of rendering educational services to the nation. The ministry set itself five major goals towards meeting the objective of its policy framework. These goals include access, equity, quality, efficiency and democracy. 

The government is committed to provide universal primary education to the entire Namibian nation.  It aims at giving every Namibian equal opportunity to complete his/her primary education or to be in school until he/she attains the age of sixteen which ever is sooner. The target being that by the year 2000, the majority of people should have acquired basic skills of reading, writing, numeracy and understanding socio-cultural processes and natural phenomena. Going along with the provision of education to school going age children and out of school adults is the provision of classrooms. One other target therefore, was and still is to increase the number of schools and classrooms to ensure that there are sufficient places for all Namibians of school going age.

The number of learners in 1990 was 382 445 while in 1998 it was 497 418 giving an average annual growth rate of 2.5% and an overall growth of 30%. Of this number 251 782  which is 50.6% are girls. The mid term review of the National Development Plan one (NDP1) conducted by the ministry in 1997 revealed that 369 200 out of 415 300 people aged between six and sixteen years of age which is 89% of this group were in school.  The total net enrolment of seven to thirteen years age group in 1997 was 95%. The net enrolment for boys was 92.2% and for girls was 97.4%.

Enrolments in some of the education regions have improved significantly. For example enrolment in the Ondangwa East Education Region in 1990 was 81 718 while in 1998 it was 121 932 an increase of 49%. In Ondangwa West Education Region in 1990 the enrolment was 115 009 while in 1998 it was 135 319, an increase of 18%.  In Kavango/Rundu Education Region the enrolment in 1990 was 32 661 while in 1998 it was 50 148, an increase of 53%.

A positive trend has been shown in promotion rates in the primary phase from 1991 to date. This improved trend can be attributed to the improved teacher qualifications, more parental involvement and concerted efforts from teachers, learners and the ministry. 

For example, the promotion rates in grade 1 in 1991 was 51.1% while in 1996 it was 83.7 %.  In 1997 it went down to 81.1 %. In grade 7 the promotion rate in 1991 was 72.2% while in 1997 it was 80.8%. From grade 1 to grade 6 females are promoted at a greater rate than males. From grade 7 onwards, however, higher proportion of males are promoted.

Repetition and dropout rates are decreasing, for example repetition rates in grade 1 in 1991 were at 36.4% while in 1997 they were at 14.6%. It was the lowest in 1995 which was 95%. In grade 7 repetition in 1991 was 19.5% while in 1997 it was 10.9%. The dropout rate in grade 1 in 1991 was 12.5% while in 1997 it was 3.9%. In grade 7, the drop out rate was lowest in 1994 when it was 7.9%. In 1991 and 1997 the dropout rate appears to be the same (8.3%) in both cases.

The educationally marginalised children (EMC) are a diverse group, and their educational needs differ from community to community. This group comprises children of farm workers, San children, Ovahimba children, street children and children in squatter areas. For most of the groups two common reasons suggested as affecting their education are poverty and/or attitudes shown by non-marginalised groups.  The third factor, linked to poverty, is the high illiteracy rate among the parents of the educationally marginalised children. The farm workers are not only poor but, a high proportion of them are also illiterate. According to the Namibia Housing Income and Expenditure Survey (NHIES) of 1991, “44% had never been to school at all, while 37% had attended primary school only”.  According to the 1991 population census 81% of all the six - eighteen year old Namibians were in school that year. However, only 18% of the same age groups of San speaking learners were in school.  At the same time literacy among the San is very low.  The literacy rate in the Kunene region where the Ovahimba are in the majority is only 45% as compared to 66% of the entire Namibian population.

In efforts to improve access to education for the marginalised children the ministry, working together with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) has introduced programmes such as the Nyae-Nyae Village School programme where the curriculum is community based and the San language is the medium of instruction.  In the Kunene region the pilot mobile school project has started.  The School Feeding Programme is benefiting most poor rural schools to keep the children of very poor families in school.  In 1996 the Ministry of Basic Education and Culture established the Inter-Sectoral Task Force (ITF) or marginalised children with the following terms of reference:

1.      to study the recommendations of the November 1995 workshop on educationally marginalised children and advise the government through the ministry on the implementation of the recommendations of the workshop;

2.      work out national policy guidelines on EMC in Namibia which will be presented to Cabinet for approval;

3.      co-ordinate activities of the ministries and NGOs and disseminate knowledge and information regarding EMC among all stakeholders; and to

4.      design programme options and strategies for meeting the educational and the learning needs of EMC.

The provision of twelve mobile school units for Ovahimba children in Kunene Region on a pilot basis has materialised; the sponsorship of twenty San learners by the Royal-Overseas League (ROSL) of U.K has been secured.  The purpose is to enable those San learners to pursue their primary and secondary education and possibly proceed to tertiary education.

The policy document on EMC entitled: “National Policy Options for Educationally Marginalised Children” was completed and endorsed by the EMT; five Nyae-Nyae Village School San teachers have been granted a status of Grade 10 equivalence in 1998 and thus have been enrolled in the ISC programme; and through the Inter-sectoral Task Force a strong voice representing the plight of the EMC has been created and its Secretariat is housed in the Directorate EPI.

The Directorate of Adult Basic Education was established in 1990 in line with the National Education Policy that aimed at achieving the educational goals of access, quality, efficiency and democracy.  The year 1991 was spent on designing the programme and putting the structure in place.  In September 1992, the National Literacy Programme in Namibia (NLPN) was launched by the Prime Minister with the initial enrolment of about 1300 learners - adults and youth.  Since then the first week of September is celebrated in Namibia every year as National Literacy Week.

The main functions of the directorate include the recruitment, enrolment and teaching of the adult learners, the training of staff through staff development programmes, literacy and materials development, production, credit facilities provision for small scale enterprises and monitoring and evaluation of the programme of the directorate. Over the period under review 90 129 learners were enrolled in Stage I for basic literacy in ten Namibian languages, of whom 64 695 learners had written a test in which 71% have passed.  They became literate in their own mother tongues.  More than 62 400 went on to Stage II literacy in which they became more fluent in reading and writing their own mother tongue.  Arithmetic was taught throughout all the three Stages of the NLPN.  In Stage III 60 717 learners were introduced to basic English for communication.  The literacy skills of NLPN learners can be acknowledged by the letters they write to the DABE newsletter, ‘DABE NEWS’ for publication.

A certificate course in Education for Development was designed in co-operation with NAMCOL to train DABE District Literacy Officers (DLOs) as adult education professionals.  More than sixty DLOs have attended the course and have their previous qualifications up-graded and recognised by the National Qualifications Authority (NQA). More than 3100 literacy promoters have been trained to conduct literacy teaching. They also receive monthly refresher courses where they review the past work, discuss and solve problems and plan for the month ahead. An adult education faculty is being established at UNAM.  This initiative was activated through discussion with DABE and familiarisation with adult education activities.

The NLPN developed the literacy curriculum for stage I - III to guide the directorate in literacy learning materials development.  The curriculum was approved by the National Examination Board.  As a result, literacy primers were developed and produced in ten local- languages.  A primer was developed in basic english and three primers in mathematics for stage I, II & III respectively. 

In total fifteen titles were produced for the first three stages of the NLPN.  The directorate has also developed the promoter’s and DLO’s handbook of instructions and methodology. Supplementary readers were also produced to help the learners retain their newly acquired literacy skills.  These had to do with life skills, income-generation, civic affairs and public (primary) health.

The project trains members of communities in small business enterprises.  It also provides credit to prospective entrepreneurs to start up their small businesses with funds provided by the European Union.  More than 100 persons have so far benefited from this scheme.

Three buildings have been erected in the Caprivi region to be used for literacy activities: the programme has been visited by other practitioners from other countries and Namibians visited foreign countries.  Thus sharing of information took place; More than 90 000 Namibians are now able to read and write in their own languages and more than 60 000 learners have been introduced to basic English.

The first step in the establishment of the Namibia College of Open Learning (NAMCOL) was the creation of a separate unit within the ministry. During November 1994, the Public Service Commission sanctioned the break up of DACE into two directorates.  The Directorate of Adult Basic Education was tasked with the administration of adult literacy and basic skills development, while face-to-face and distance education programmes were allocated to a new directorate which was called NAMCOL.

The transition was completed on 1 April 1998, when the newly-established institution took over responsibility for all continuing education programmes formerly administered by the Ministry of Basic Education, Sport and Culture.  Shortly afterwards, the College’s staff moved to new offices on the campus of the Yetu Yama Centre along Independence Avenue in Katutura. This complex was officially inaugurated on 29 October 1998.

NAMCOL’s core activity has traditionally been its programme of alternative secondary education, which provides study opportunities for those who are unable or do not wish to attend formal schools.  During 1998, courses were offered at two levels:  the Junior Secondary Certificate (Grade 10) and the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (Grade 12).  Learners enrolling for this programme can opt to study through either distance education (DE) or the face-to-face mode (F-F).  Distance education learners receive a full set of self-study materials, including: study guides or workbooks, tutorial letters and assignments, which must be completed and send to NAMCOL head office for marking.  In addition, regional offices are responsible for organising workshops for DE learners during school vacations in order to supplement the study materials with approximately fourty hours of tutorials per annum in each subject.

Learners receive an average of four hour tuition per week for between twenty-two – twenty-six weeks each year.  During 1998, NAMCOL provided face-to-face tuition at seventy-nine centres around the country. In addition to Alternative Secondary Education, NAMCOL offers a Certificate in Education for Development (CED), which was designed to meet the professional development needs of adult educators, extensions agents and community development workers. The CED is a two-year programme.  It is offered through a combination of distance education and residential workshops and includes four courses:  contextual studies, theory and practice of adult education, organisational development studies, and research methods, including a practice.  By the end of 1998, twenty-six students had completed the programme and received a certificate jointly accredited by NAMCOL and UNISA.  The certificate has been recognised as equivalent to two years of study at post-matriculation level.  The Certificate of Education for Development (CED) is a two-year program which commenced in 1997. The CED is a joint initiative between NAMCOL and the university of South Africa (UNISA) tailored mainly for community development workers such as district literacy organisers, agricultural extension workers, health educators, project managers and non-formal educators working in government ministries and NGOs. Over the last four years, enrolments have grown more than four-fold, from 4 780 learners in 1994 to a total of 20 167 in 1998.  This is equivalent to over 13 000 full-time learners, which means that NAMCOL is the largest educational institution in Namibia.

Not only has NAMCOL managed to achieve growth in student numbers, but its learners have also demonstrated improved outcomes in terms of their examination results. In 1998, there were 7 978 part-time candidates registered for junior secondary examinations, which was one third higher than in the previous year.  At the same time the number of graded entries increased by over 62%. Overall, the number of candidates achieving various marks also increased, with the exception of A symbols.  The failure rate dropped from 41% in 1997 to only 24% in 1998. In 1998, 7 498 IGCSE part-time candidates registered for the October/November examination, representing more than a third of all candidates.  Over two thirds of subjects entries were graded last year as compared to only 59% in 1997. 

Efforts have been and are still being made by the ministry to promote equitable access to education for learners with disabilities in Namibia. There are national special schools for learners with disabilities in the country. Two of these schools are for the mentally disabled children, two for the learners with learning difficulties, one industrial school for boys is in operation while another for girls will be started soon. Two are for the visually and hearing impaired children. The national Institute for Special Education is mainly for the visually and mentally impaired. It also serves as a training and resource centre for teachers involved in special education. The above institutions cater for about 1 200 learners with disabilities.

The implementation of vocational training at Pionier Boys’ School was approved by the Examinations Board of Namibia and the school was registered as a vocational training centre with the Ministry of Higher Education, Vocational Training Science and Technology. In-service training courses for the Regional School Counsellors, as the field workers of this directorate, were held during February, June and September from 1996 to 1998 at NIED.  In-service training of staff at schools for the hearing impaired (Eluwa Special School, National Institute for Special Education) was conducted by Optima College from the RSA.

Of the forty-five Special Class teachers thirty-eight received in-service training on baseline assessment, value-adding and differentiation.  Resource material like guidelines for the establishment of a special class, assessment forms and basic scholastic skills tests were developed and approved by the curriculum panel for special education.  In line with the policy of mainstreaming the adaptation of two of the five special grades syllabi has been completed by the working group for special classes.  Special grades were implemented.

Counselling support groups were established at 165 schools country wide and the relevant training was given to 329 teachers.  Four blind grade twelve learners from Eluwa Special School started with their teacher training courses at the Malcolm Moffat Teachers Training College in Zambia. The Eluwa Special School boasted in having achieved, for the first time in its existence, to have three totally deaf learners pass the Junior Secondary Certificate Examinations.  This was achieved due to increased audiology-and speech therapy offered by Volunteer Services Overseas and the newly introduced total communication system.  

The main objective of the ministry over this period was to provide physical  facilities in the form of complete schools, classrooms, ablutions, administration blocks, laboratories, libraries and staff houses to previously neglected regions where needs exist, as well as renovation and maintenance of education buildings.

1.      Since independence the development budget has increased from a mere N$ 32 million to a N$ 90 million in 1999.  This allowed for more facilities to be built.  In 1990/91 a total of 205 facilities were erected compared to 691 in 1999/2000 fiscal year.

2.      In 1998 it was realised that the renovation and maintenance budget was insufficient to cope with the needs of education and 10% of the development budget was allocated for renovation and maintenance. 

3.      The same principle applies with different norms when it comes to the upgrading of primary schools. The original building modules were refined to an acceptable cost effective product that is applicable to all the regions.

4.      Through the Socio-Economic Integration Programme for the Ex-combatants (SIPE), ninenty-two pit latrines were erected. Another 125 are in the pipeline for 1999. With GTZ support fifty-six VIP latrines were built and construction is still continuing.

5.      Previously most of the construction companies were mainly from Windhoek and central Namibia.  People in the northern parts of Namibia were encouraged to   participate in the building projects, as a result they came up with an organisation (NANCA), and are now participating alongside the GRN in building.

6.      The main aim was capacity building and up to this point, small contractors are able to construct the standard module classrooms with great success.

7.      A major financial saving was the appointment of one consulting firm to do the documentation, financial control and supervision with agents on the classroom project instead of different consultants. 

8.      The fate of unemployed ex-combatants was greatly relieved when the conditions in the tender document were adapted so that contractors were forced to employ ex-combatants as part of their labour force.

9.      The furniture monopoly was cracked when school desks and chairs were redesigned for a proper tender. The outcome was tremendous as the price to furnish one classroom came down by N$ 4 000.00. The provision of loose desk tops and seats to the regions enabled regional offices to repair hundreds of school desks and chairs.

The provision of water tanks to some rural schools created a better situation at schools which  had a shortage of water, like in the Caprivi region.

Table 1: Number of schools per region, 1990-1998

Budget Allocation

The 1998/99 budgeted amount of N$1467.5 million is one of the largest single allocations made to a ministry from the national budget.  But this must be seen against the ministry’s responsibility for nearly half a million (497 418) school-going children, apart from the adults that the ministry reaches through its adult learning programmes and the arts, culture, museum, archives and library services which the ministry provides to the nation as a whole, and to non-nationals. The increase of N$132.1 million over the 1997/98 budgeted expenditure is accounted for by further steps in the implementation of the recommendations of the Wages and Salary Commission, notably the personnel appraisal system, coupled with a general salary increase for public servants, and the implementation of provisions of the Labour Act, and by the taking over by the ministry, from the Ministry of Works, Transport and Communication, of the responsibility for services such as electricity, water and refuse removal.  

Provision of educational supplies has suffered from the encroachment of personnel costs into the budget for supplies and services.  As a consequence, under-resourced schools have not had sufficient government assistance to redress the deficiencies of the past.  Human resources are unevenly spread across the country, with some regions having a significantly higher learner-teacher ratio than other regions.  With a national average of 29.1, the range is from 21.4 to 40.0.  In the Ohangwena Region 51% of all schools have a learner-teacher ratio in excess of 40. In general, it is also the regions with the highest (and therefore least satisfactory) learner-teacher ratios which have the highest proportion of unqualified and under-qualified teachers. While this is not a situation which can be remedied overnight, there is little evidence that progress is being made towards a more equitable arrangement, except in so far as the proportion of unqualified teachers is decreasing as a result of the in-service BETD. At the senior secondary level many of the northern schools are relying on expatriates to teach the critical subjects of mathematics, physical science, and English, because the number of newly qualified teachers in these subject areas is small.

The University of Namibia (UNAM) is making efforts to provide the required teachers for the senior secondary phase.

Table 2: Budget allocation to the ministry for the past financial years 1990 – 1999 (N$) 

The actual expenditure incurred on personnel employment by the ministry for the past financial years is indicated in the table below.  Also indicated is the percentage of personnel expenditure against the total budget allocation per financial year.

Table 3 : Personnel expenditure over the period under-review

The allocation made to provide materials and supplies to Primary and Secondary schools over the past financial years is indicated below.

Table 4: Budget allocation for materials and supplies over 1990-1999 (N$)

The ministry already operates its annual budget on a decentralized basis.  Indicated in the table below are the amounts allocated to the different educational regions over the past financial years:

Table 5: shows budget allocation to regional offices over the period under-review (N$)

Personnel Administration  

After independence the Directorate General Services comprised staff members from the different second tier authorities of the previous dispensation, where legislation for each ethnic group existed and was applied, in conjunction with the Public Service Act, 1980.  This state of affairs was partially addressed by the Constitution alongside the abolishment of certain discriminatory policies inherited from that era.  However, the subsequent implementation of other legislation designed with the Constitution as a basis, further enhanced and streamlined the capacity of the directorate to deliver an effective and efficient service to all concerned. These pieces of legislature include the Public Service Act, 1995 (Act 13 of 1995), the State Finance Act, 1991 (Act 31 of 1991), the Labour Act, 1992 (Act 6 of 1992), the Social Security Act, 1994 (Act 34 of 1994), the Affirmative Action (Employment) Act, 1998 (Act 29 of 1998), to mention but a few.

Through the recognition agreements between the government and the Namibia National Teachers Union (NANTU), representing all teaching personnel, and the Namibia Public Workers Union (NAPWU) which is the bargaining unit for non-teaching staff, a forum was established whereby issues of mutual interest could be discussed. A gradual change in relationships between the division and various stakeholders has taken place as the division realised its function of guardianship by ensuring that policies of transparency, equity and access are applied in the execution of their daily tasks. 

The role of the division was also strengthened by the issuing of the Namibian Public Service Charter on the recommendation of the Wage and Salary Commission, whereby commitment to deliver a professional and qualified service was enhanced.  The implementation of the Public Service Act during 1995, made the application of disciplinary measures easier as the process is transparent and just.

With the implementation of the recommendations of the Wages and Salary Commission (Wascom), certain conditions of service (benefits) were incorporated in the salaries of staff members or abolished, for example service bonus, privation package, motor vehicle scheme for senior officials.  Where in the past two different salary scales existed for teaching and non-teaching staff, respectively, these have been done away with and only one salary scale is now used throughout the public service, although different pay structures.  More staff members started making use of certain benefits like the housing loan scheme, especially in the remote areas, as financial institutions extended their assistance to these parts.

The division was instrumental in the setting-up, customising, loading of personnel data, training, and so forth on the ministry’s Computerised Human Resource Management System (CHRMS).  However, significant problems still need to be addressed before the system can be regarded as operational, e.g.,  Interface with OPM and MOF, maintenance support, linkage with regional personnel offices. The division is continuing efforts to strengthen its human capacity building through training courses at OPM and private companies, despite limited financial resources.

The notion of quality is complex especially in the area of education. Quality can be seen in terms of inputs, resources and working conditions provided to teachers and learners. It can also be seen in how well teachers have been prepared for their tasks and responsibilities. It is evident that one of the important challenges in improving the quality of the education system is to ensure that teachers are well prepared for their major responsibilities.  For it is teachers who structure the learning environment, who keep learning exciting and satisfying or alternatively who make schooling a worse exercise to pursue.

Curriculum Research and Development

The drafting or refinement of thirty-two syllabuses in a range of subjects was completed and the implementation of new syllabuses continued at upper primary, junior secondary and senior secondary levels.  Modules for in-service training in remedial teaching were also completed.  In addition, this division has assisted DNEA with examinations, adult literacy with research, and the colleges of education and UNAM with pre-and/or in-service teacher training.

During 1996 the Curriculum Panels/Committees and Working Groups which were established at the end of 1995 became fully functional.  They were able to draw up fourteen new primary syllabuses, revised twenty-eight junior secondary syllabuses, developed and translated Lower Primary syllabuses into all local languages and developed five new senior secondary syllabuses in African languages.  In addition, they evaluated and recommended teaching and learning materials, and where necessary, developed appropriate new materials, as well as updated the textbook catalogue. Work also commenced on the broad curriculum for special education.

In collaboration with the Professional and Resource Development Division, in-service training of facilitators and teachers took place at NIED, and in the regions.  Some of the ground work for curriculum materials development and evaluation was done by these teachers during the workshops.  UCLES also assisted in training Senior Secondary teachers.  Discussions continued with UCLES on changes to the (H)IGCSE syllabuses. NIED officials attended numerous seminars and workshops, and presented papers both in the sub-region and overseas.  Others joined evaluation teams, along with international specialists, in monitoring and evaluating local programme implementation.

In 1998, new curriculum panels and subject committees for the next three year phase were established.  All panel and committee members attended a course on the development and evaluation of textbooks and educational materials.  Such an exercise was necessary to bring about a better understanding between educationalists and the publishing houses. Twenty-one subject syllabuses were developed by the curriculum panels/committees and working groups, and approved by the Curriculum Co-ordinating Committee (CCC) and the Examination Board. A continuous assessment policy for formal education (grades 1 - 12) was developed by the Continuous Assessment Working Group. The document “Towards improving continuous assessment in schools - a policy and information guide” was approved by the Examination Board for implementation in January 1999.

The Special Education supplement to the Pilot Curriculum Guide for Formal Basic Education was approved by the Examination Board. Mainstream syllabuses for grades 1 - 3 were adapted for special classes and dispatched to schools. In 1998, activities mainly focused on the development and the dissemination of materials and the training of trainers and facilitators.  The following are examples of the materials which were developed:  A resource book for population education; the ABC of population education; unfreezing for population education; responsible parenthood booklet; and population education radio script.

The lower primary reform focused on grade 4.  The syllabuses were revised and supplementary teaching and learning materials were developed.  The first language syllabus was translated into eleven Namibian languages. Personnel from curriculum development were involved in a support exercise to a number of the above-mentioned student teachers to help them qualify for enrolment for the Instructional Skills Certificate. The Population Education project; the Basic Education Support Project (BES), Enviroteach, Life Science Project, the English Language Development Project (ELTDP) and Molteno are projects which supported curriculum development and in-service training. The GLOBE Programme was introduced in March 1998, and a workshop was arranged for all participating schools.

Professional and Resource Development

Activities have included seventy-one workshops for teachers with over 6 300 participants; further progress in the development on the INSET BETD programme, support to the CCN Early Education Worker course; the development of the TRC network; and the monitoring of the H/IGSCE programme in all Grade 12 schools. The Basic Education Teachers Diploma was developed in 1992, implemented in 1993, and the first cohort graduated in 1995.

An appraisal of the BETD curriculum was completed with a view to revision in 1996.  New curricula for qualifying school principals, advisory teachers, and inspectors were developed. Modules for the Instructional Skills Certificate as an introductory course for unqualified teachers were also developed.

The reform of Lower Primary was prepared through curriculum development, materials production and the in-service training of all Lower Primary teachers nation-wide. The materials production unit was able to produce all items required , including all Grade 1 - 4 syllabuses in twelve languages.

With the assistance of the Sida-funded Teacher Education Reform Project (TERP), the three year Basic Education Teacher Diploma (BETD) has undergone its first full (re) evaluation and revision after the initial 1993-95 cycle.  At the same time, partially funded by UNDP, the division prepared teaching modules for the BETD (INSET) years three and four for delivery through a newly revised four year distance education programme.

The BETD Broad Curriculum was approved and implemented in 1998 and the new BETD subject syllabuses are presently serving as working documents in the colleges of education. The implementation of these syllabuses is monitored by a network of subject co-ordinators, who will eventually facilitate possible adjustments.

The development and delivery of the BETD Inset Programme took place as planned in 1998.  The Broad Curriculum of the programme was refined and all study materials were developed according to target dates.  A refined system of school-based activity was also implemented. The research unit started building up a resource bank of Namibian research papers and studies, which will be stored centrally and from which future researchers can draw.

The main focus of this sub-division Professional Development in 1998, was the training and monitoring of the lower primary reform. Grade 4 teachers were trained to become part of a central training team (CTT), which was followed by the training of a regional training team (RTT).  The RTT trained grade four teachers in the regions during December 1998, to implement the grade 4 reform in 1999. This team has also co-ordinated the monitoring of the implementation of grade 3 in the schools, as well as monitored the training of grade 4 teachers.

Another training focus of this team was the principals’ training, which focused on Khorixas and Keetmanshoop during 1998. One week courses were conducted by Oxford Brookes University in all education regions to improve the management of regional education staff and consequently improve efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery in schools and offices. 

The research sub-division has focused on monitoring of the upper primary syllabus implementation, evaluating programmes like Enviroteach and completing large research projects on learner-centred education and its implications for in-service training, to provide baseline data.

National Examinations and Assessment 

In the period under review the ministry made some significant achievements in terms of improving the examination and assessment system in the country and consequently improving learner flow in the education system.

A new national examination was developed and introduced at the end of the Junior Secondary Phase. This examination, known as the Junior Secondary Certificate Examination (JSC), was first introduced in 1993 and thirty-seven subjects are examined. This examination is available to full-time and part-time candidates and in an adapted format also to deaf and blind candidates.  The following table gives the percentages of graded entries at the key grades (A, C, D and G) since 1993 as well as the numbers of candidates having entered and the percentages of graded entries.

As can be seen from the table above, achievement of learners has steadily improved with 22.6% ungraded entries in 1993 to 13.5% ungraded entries in 1999. At the end of Senior Secondary Education the IGCSE and HIGCSE examinations have been successfully introduced.  The first examinations were written in 1995 and fourty-five IGCSE and nineteen HIGCSE subjects are currently examined. The following two tables give, for respectively the IGCSE and HIGCSE examinations, the results since 1995.

Table 7: Results of the IGCSE full-time and part-time candidates combined (1995-1998)

Note: *Cumulative percentages (Percentages at each grade appear in brackets).

From the percentage-ungraded entries, it can be seen that the ungraded entries for IGCSE came down from 22.9%  in 1995 to 14.3% in 1998.  For the same period the HIGCSE ungraded entries came down from 7.3% to 4.9%.

Table 9: Progress made in the process of localising some  (H)IGCSE subjects.

In the intermediate grades i.e. the grades where national examinations are not written fairer assessment and promotion procedures were implemented which had a significant impact on promotion, repetition and dropout rates.

A positive trend has been shown in promotion rates in primary from 1991 to date. This improved trend can be attributed to the policy of automatic promotion which was introduced in the country, improved teacher qualification, some parental involvement and concerted efforts from both teachers and learners and the ministry.

It is important to note that the ministry has been and still supported by donors in its efforts and endeavours to promote access, equity, quality, efficiency and democratic participation in educational programmes and activities in the country.

The ultimate goal of most activities of the ministry must be to support the effective and efficient provision of education in the classroom as this is the main delivery point of the ministry’s education services. Therefore, teachers, school middle managers, school principals, regional education staff and head office staff should work towards realising this goal.

All staff members must be efficient and effective in whatever they are doing, working time and resources must be used efficiently and effectively in pursuance of each member’s functions at all times; punctuality and presence at work must be adhered to all times.

In 1996 the ministry developed the efficiency programme. Workshops were conducted with head office and regional directorates to discuss, examine and debate efficiency issues with them. Regional discussions involved school inspectors, advisory teachers and some school principals. Furthermore, regional education staff were requested to hold more meetings with school staff and discuss efficiency issues with them. The feedback received was that fruitful discussions were held with schools in most of regions.

A democratic education system is organised around broad participation in decision making and the clear accountability of the people in leadership positions and those involved in decision making.  In Namibia democratic participation in education has been improving since independence. The ministry has been making efforts as early as 1991 to sensitise learners, teachers, parents and communities regarding their democratic role and responsibilities in education.

In 1995 the ministry introduced a structure which allows more democratic participation in education.  The structure is made up of the regional education forum, composed of representatives of school boards, one representative from every constituency or inspection circuit, representative of community leaders, representative of church bodies, representative of workers (trade unions), representative of teacher unions and representative of student organisations.  In addition to this body there are school boards, composed of equal representation from parents committee and teaching staff, school management committees, teacher’s unions, student organisations and parents all having an active role in educational matters.

Recently a human rights and democracy project under the auspices of UNESCO was established at NIED. This project will be responsible for the development of supplementary material on human rights and democracy.

The ministry is working on the decentralisation process of some of its programmes and activities to consolidate and enhance the already decentralised activities of the seven education regions. The purpose of this exercise is to give regional and local authorities, and the people at the grassroots levels decision making powers in matters that concern them. It is important that this process should be extended to school community levels.

The Division National Heritage and Culture Programmes in collaboration with the National Arts Gallery of Namibia (NAGN) has established the John Muafangejo school of the arts.  The collaboration which included rapid progress of young, previously disadvantaged artists, culminated in a publication by the NAGN called Art in Namibia.  This is a chronology of the arts development in the country from pre-colonial times (rock-art), colonial times and rapid development in post-colonial Namibia.  The rapid pace of development in the area of arts and crafts in the past ten years is more than the previous ninety years put together.

The College for the Arts organised the largest interdenominational church music ever, which catered for choral, conducting, organ and basic music skills development.  Participants came from all over Namibia.  Some lecturers were judges at the Katutura Church Music Festival, participation in Malawi.  Other highlights were the dance festival with 500 participants, the National Symphony Orchestra Independence Concert, the Concerto Festival (with French Children’s Choir and Coastal choirs); participation in the Mbapira Festival, the Drama Festival, the Day of the African Child.  The World Food Day, the Youth Expo; and the presentation of performances by Home Brewed Productions, the Oshikuku Arts Centre and forty in-house concerts by students and lecturers.  The NTN together with the Committed Artists of Namibia hosted workshops in acting and script writing, resulting in thirty plays entered for the Golden Pen Award.

The NTN and Warehouse Theatre presented many joint theatre, dance, music and film programmes in collaboration with international agencies, which included the French Mission for Co-operation, the Franco Namibian Cultural Centre, the British Council, the Royal Netherlands Embassy, the Indian High Commission, and the Namibian German foundation.  Joint projects were also executed with the Commercial Bank, the Standard Bank, Democratic Media Holdings, National Oral Tradition project, Friends of the Opera, Committed Artists of Namibia and the National School Ballet.

The National Youth Choir achieved international success with its participation in the International Society for Music Education (ISME) Symposium in South Africa.  Their Compact disks were sold out after the first performance and the choir received many international invitations.  They gave highly successful local concerts as well as in South Africa and Botswana.  Local productions included the Hare Hoado Festival in Katutura, the Independence Concert at the UN Plaza, gala concerts in Swakopmund, Walvis Bay and Windhoek with the Coastal Choir (200 participants).  The National Children’s Choir was established this year and performed at several venues.  Both choirs recorded compact disks in the course of the year.

The legacy inherited by the colonial administration was a bleak one with very little to copy and even fewer things to embroider on and to develop.  This is now well phrased in the words of Javier Perez de Cuellar, former Secretary General of the United Nations and President of the World Commission on Culture and Development.  He said during the Intergovernmental Conference on Cultural Policies for Development in Stockholm, Sweden, (March / April 1998):

“We had effectively demonstrated that development divorced from its human or cultural context is growth without a soul.  We had argued that development itself must be conceived in broader terms that accord a central place to culture.

We had revealed the impelling effects of cultural diversity on development.  We had demonstrated that humanity must sustain and enrich that cultural diversity if it hopes to build a common future. This highlights a common and all pervasive context that faced us during the years from 1990 until now.  Whereas culture was previously used to divide and rule, we had to use it to unite.  Except for development and building common visions and a policy of reconciliation, we also had to establish and create new platforms, contexts and sometimes even structures.”

Local artists were very disempowered, especially those who are poor and living in the rural areas.  A process was set into motion and district and regional cultural festivals took place.  A yearly national cultural festival is now a regular feature on the cultural calendar. More than 200 cultural groups have been established all over Namibia and the best among them are regularly acting as cultural ambassadors in exchanges with friendly nations. The ministry assisted in establishing the Franco Namibia Culture Centre.  This led to Namibians being exposed to some of the best artists from France and the Franco - African Diaspora.  Not only has this renaissance in performing arts led to better understanding amongst Namibians, it also increased respect and emphasise the beauty in their different cultures instead of pointing out weaknesses.

Many joint ventures have ensued with UNESCO and SADC. Some of the highlights are the development of and participation in exhibitions and festivals (even at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris and in other SADC capitals), the development and adoption of the SADC document on policies and priorities for the Sector of Culture (including Information), developing of databases and developing mechanisms in order to use culture as a tool to build peace and unity in the region, especially on grassroots level.

The development of a reading culture through literature was given a boost through the establishment of the Namibian Book Development Council (NBDC).  The NBDC at present has the largest collection of Namibian publications as a permanent collection to be used in exhibitions.  It brings together writers (through workshops), publishers, printers and other professionals in the book world.  It advises experts on UNESCO contracts and is in the process of developing a permanent book house.

The ministry is collecting oral traditions and other materials with tape recorders and has  started training culture officials in video collection.  This treasure of oral culture, history, philosophy and wisdom is one of Namibia’s best-protected resources that will eventually assist the nation building process in a most meaningful way.  Added efforts for the new millennium will ensure more progress in this area.  More than 500 school culture clubs have been established all over Namibia.  It is hoped that the new generation will now use the tool of oratory research and culture expression to not only lay the basis for a creative future but also one that will unleash their scientific and intellectual potential to the full.

The Namibia Society for Composers and Authors of Music (Nascam) was established together with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and more than 150 Namibian authors and composers are members.  Music can build harmony if developed properly in any nation and also amongst nations. Having the 1994 Copyright Act in Place, much more development will ensue in this area.

The next step will be to develop culture industries and to link it to income sectors like tourism and international trade fairs.

Six new community libraries were established in previously disadvantaged areas (Oshakati, Ondangwa, Opuwo, Khorixas, Gibeon and Gochas).  Basic collections for four still to-be-established libraries were assembled (Katutura, Katima Mulilo, Ondangwa East and Rundu). The new national archives/library building, bringing together all subdivisions under one roof, is almost ready for occupation.  While 90% of schools did not have libraries/library collections at the time of independence, all schools from grade 4 - 12 now have at least basic book collections.  Junior primary schools will be attended to during 1999/2000.  Currently, books are provided to all schools with less than one book per learner.  Schools with less than three books per learner will than be targeted.  Intermediate archives depots are being planned; at least one in the north and one in the south. One place in the north (probably the joint UNAM/Community Library and one in the south (Keetmanshoop Public Library) will receive a complete set of Legal Deposit once the Act is promulgated.

Various databases, inter alia, NAMCAT (containing holdings of ministerial libraries), NAMLIT (on Namibian related and produced documents), PERGOV (periodicals in ministerial libraries) and in-house catalogues are available on the Internet.  The web pages of the national archives, national library and other subdivisions are available on the Internet.  The first volume of the Namibia National Bibliography (NNB) (1990-92) has been published, while the second volume (1993-95) is currently being printed.  The third volume (1996-98) is in progress. A directory of Namibian libraries, publishers and booksellers has been published in 1992. The SABINET database (Southern African Bibliographic and Information Network) containing the holdings of a number of Namibian libraries and of libraries in neighbouring countries is available on-line; and increasing emphasis is being placed on the sharing of facilities, for example joint-use of school/community libraries, the joint Rossing foundation/Ministry Of Basic Education, Sport And Culture Community Library at Ondangwa and the planned UNAM/Community Library at Oshakati.

1.      Introduction of the language policy is a mile stone in Namibia in that it unifies the people and the learning process, it also prepares Namibians to be able to communicate with the outside world and face the global challenges.

2.      Officials responsible for Khoekhoegowab attended a meeting of the World intellectual property in Geneva where the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund showed their willingness to sponsor the development of Namibian indigenous languages through UNESCO.

3.      A policy document on learner pregnancy, has been worked out after consultations with stake holders and legal advisers from the office of the Attorney-General. The document has been submitted to Cabinet for approval.

4.      The Namibia school feeding programme provided more balanced dayly meals to 90,200 learners, 944 teachers and 1,670 cooks in 689 primary schools, pre-schools and poor hostels.  This has lead to increased school enrolment figures and improved attendance rates in remote schools where otherwise learners would not have been able to attend school.

5.      Efficiency workshops were held for each head office and all regional directorates, including stakeholders, during which, efficiency issues pertaining to each directorate and the ministry as a whole, were tackled.

6.      Considerable progress has been made in the processing of the long awaited “Draft Education Bill,” enabling the ministry to submit it to the Cabinet Committee on legislation [CCL].

7.      The ministry is finalising a ten year overall in-service plan for teachers and school managers aimed at improving the provision of educational services to the Namibian nation.

8.      The Presidential Commission is reviewing the Education, Culture and Training programmes to assist the two ministries of education in defining their policy options and priorities and help them to structure their programmes and activities for the twenty-first century.

9.      The EU support to mathematics and science project which started in July 1999 to June 2000 aiming at addressing the serious shortcomings in the mathematics and science education in the country is in process. This project includes assisting UNAM with course design, development and implementation, and the provision of science equipment and developing of teaching and learning materials for a science and mathematics teachers upgrading course. Also the support and training of science and mathematics co-ordination and advisory personnel of the Ministry Of Basic Education, Sport And Culture at central and regional levels.

10.  A final draft of the customer service charter for primary and secondary schools in Namibia have been completed. The Directorate of Special Education Programmes is developing the customer service charter for the learners with special needs.

The ministry developed programmes and projects for education improvement, renewal and reform. Language Policy Formulation and Development was one of the initiatives. Basic Education Reform and Renewal, Junior Secondary Curriculum Reform, Teacher In-Service Training, Examination and Assessment, Literacy Programme Development and Distance Education were others. It was desirable to have a coherent and focused statement of policies, goals and priorities for education , culture and training. Accordingly it was decided to prepare the statement, “Toward Education for All: A Development Brief for Education, Culture and Training.”

Article 20 of the Namibian constitution states quite clearly the mission of the Ministry of Basic Education and Culture. To articulate this mission in simple and much clear terms the ministry set itself the following mission statement:

 “We in partnership with our stakeholders are committed to providing Namibian residents with equitable access to quality education and culture programmes to develop the abilities of individuals to acquire the knowledge, values, skills, attitudes and understanding they will require throughout their lifetime”.

To articulate Vision 2005, 2010, 2030 and beyond the ministry commissioned some studies to help it plan better for the future. The ten year plan for educator development and support looks at the plan and strategies for educator development and support 2000 to 2010. The plan does not only look at the ways and means of reducing the number of under-qualified teachers but ways of continuously supporting them as a means of enhancing quality education in Namibia. The Presidential Commission reviews the programmes and activities of the Education, Culture and Training sector with the aim of recommending some programmes and activities to be carried from the year 2000 and beyond. Some of the visionary recommendations are introduction of the unit costs throughout the country to address equity and quality in education. The establishment of national inspectorate to monitor education standards and national advisory teachers to render the necessary subject advisory services to teachers thereby enhancing educational quality and standard. The establishment of vibrant school boards which should take an active role in the governance of the schools. Decentralisation is one activity the ministry is busy working on to take decision making powers to people at the grassroots levels.

The language policy is to be monitored, and measures should be taken to improve the position of English as the official language, as well as the role of Namibia’s mother tongues in promoting culture and nation building.

The ministry has on its priority list a plan to reach out to the remaining educationally marginalised children.  Several discussions have already taken place around this issue.  A Steering Committee has been established.  The next step is to set up an Inter-sectoral Task Force which will bring together all concerned and relevant partners.

This will call for a common vision among the school teachers, principals, learners, parents and the community at large.  The issues that will be addressed under this rubric include; reducing and eventually eradicating pregnancies in schools; promoting community involvement in educational matters; promoting youth health programmes and HIV/AIDS control; promoting effective teaching and learning; and promoting better classroom management and positive discipline.

The ministry’s vision is to achieve this through the promotion of in-service upgrading for teachers at all levels.  The university of Namibia has already been approached to assist in meeting the needs of the senior secondary level.

The report compiled by the task force will be forwarded to Cabinet and then eventually to parliament for approval and ratification.  Once this is done the ministry will have in place a firm policy with which to deal with the issue of learners pregnancies.

A culture of commitment and hard work has to be further developed at all levels of the education system. This entails that “effective teaching and learning” should be seen to lead to improvements in the quality of education.

The development of a code of conduct for teachers has yet to be completed.  This is a shared responsibility of the teachers’ trade unions and the ministry.  It is hoped that with the establishment of a committee on the teaching service, the process will be expedited.

In the final draft Education Bill which is now with the Cabinet Committee on Legislation, the ministry proposes that the code of conduct for learners will be determined and adopted by school boards in consultation with learners, parents, teachers and other interested individuals or groups.  When finally passed, the bill will provide a legal basis for the practical implementation of the said code.

The pre-independence staffing norms have to be revised in conformity with the policy of equitable distribution of resources, to suit the current social and financial realities of Namibia.  In this regard, the ministry has been working on new staffing norms in co-operation with the teachers’ unions and other interested parties.  Once concluded, the new staffing norms will have to be implemented gradually, taking into account the needs of all interested parties, and in line with public service regulations.

Preparatory work on the development of a national policy on educationally marginalised children has been carried out in collaboration with stakeholders and interested parties.  More work still has to be done, and this includes:

1.      The provision of classrooms, teacher houses, offices, science laboratories in senior secondary schools teaching science subjects but not having these facilities, library facilities and the maintenance thereof to meet the demand.

2.      The improvement of security measures at schools to curb the theft of equipment.

3.      A campaign to get communities involved in the maintenance of the schools and to get the feeling of ownership.  This will also reduce vandalism at schools.

4.      The removal of the stick and mud classrooms at school sites where it is not in use anymore and replacement classroom had been constructed.

5.      The reduction on time after project documentation to final tender award.

6.      More often the use of year contractors on projects that have been referred back by Tender Board for the tendering. Tender Board has already approved the year tender contractors through a screening process so they in fact comply already.

7.      Creation of a technical advisory service in Ministry Of Basic Education, Sport And Culture to expedite the slow service from the Ministry of Works.

8.      The eradication of the backlog in proper conventional classrooms before 2005.

9.      The establishment of small maintenance units in the decentralised regions to cater for minor replacements and attendance in respect of day to day maintenance.