The 2022 senior secondary certificate exams in Namibia have seen poor results as the government cited COVID-19 as a contributing factor.
The Namibia Senior Secondary Certificate Ordinary level is a two-year programme taken by students following the completion of their junior secondary education, while the Namibia Senior Secondary Certificate Advanced Subsidiary is a one-year course students undertake after completing their Senior Secondary Advanced Certificate Ordinary level.
Reported by media outlet Xinhua, the loss of face-to-face teaching and learning time during the pandemic’s peak may have altered the exams’ results with only about 5,000 out of more than 38,000 students passing.
According to a report from the Namibian State House, out of 198 planned days for face-to-face tuition, the number of days that learners attended school was not sufficient for them to master all academic competencies required for progression to the next grade.
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The report also highlighted other challenges facing the education sector in Namibia, including poor infrastructure, a shortage of classrooms and teaching resources, and a lack of support for teachers and students at the school level.
In response to the poor results, President Hage Geingob summoned the Education, Arts, and Culture Minister, Anna Nghipondoka, to brief him on the situation.
The presidency has called for the construction of additional classrooms and the rehabilitation of dilapidated education infrastructure, as well as targeted funding for the procurement of temporary structures to ensure that every student and teacher has a classroom for teaching and learning.
The report finally emphasized the need for teachers to receive adequate support through continuous professional development and other means.
At the latest Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC) in Australia, the government of India announced it has offered medical support to over 150 COVID-19-affected countries.
