• Education

Namcol students shine

Justicia Shipena

Mbiririmujo Mbahimua was awarded the best overall Namcol candidate and he received a cash prize of N$30 000 from Bank Windhoek, N$5 000 from Retirement Fund Solutions (RFS), a tablet from Cambridge University Press and a scholarship from Namcol covering first-year registration and tuition fees at any institution of higher learning, at a maximum of N$30 000. Mbahimua was also awarded as best candidate for NSSCH and walked away with another N$2 000 from Bank Windhoek.

Martin Hilma was awarded the best overall performance in the JSC examinations receiving N$3 000 from Dynamic Mobile Solutions (DMS) and a tablet from Cambridge University Press, while Paulus Condensia scooped best overall candidate for NSSCO receiving N$3 000 from Dynamic Mobile Solutions (DMS). The northern region scooped the best performing region in both JSC and NSSC.

A total of 11 222 part-time candidates were registered for JSC examination at Namcol and other various distance education institutions registered with the ministry of education.

Part-time candidates performed poorer at higher grades A to B with 1.6% and C to D with 20.4%. A total of 87.6% of the candidates were graded with 12.4% ungraded.

In 2018, a total of 32 940 part-time students sat for NSSC0/H examinations and showed an improvement of 5.5 % for D grade and above, up from 20.6% in 2017 to 25.1% in 2018 with an overall of 81.1% candidates graded.

Heroldt Murangi, director at Namcol said that 2019 is the last year that the old JSC curriculum will be offered at Namcol thus learners must double their efforts to achieve a pass.

Murangi added that in 2020, the old curriculum for NSSC will be offered for the last time at Namcol and in the same year, the institution’s selected centres will offer the new curriculum.

He also expressed that the programmes offered by the college through the open and distance learning mode of delivery have a number of particular attributes such as the separation in time and space of tutor and learner.

“National development will be hampered if all those in need of academic enhancement would be required to join the conventional education system,” he said.

According to Murangi the open and distance learning model increases access and creates opportunities for a diverse group of people such as women, out-of-school youth, the marginalised and the under-privileged.

“This system is vitally flexible to change with the changing needs of the ever-evolving society and therefore produces a graduate who is well adjusted to contribute to the needs of the community,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of Laura McLeod-Katjirua, the governor of Khomas Region, her special advisor Rosalia Muashekele-Sibiya said that Namcol is an indispensable vehicle to assist government in meeting its national development objectives articulated in key policy statements such as NDP 5 and the Harambee Prosperity Plan.

Muashekele-Sibiya added that the relevance of education cannot be over-emphasised as it is the single most important tool to empower Namibian citizens to able to fight ignorance and under-development.

“Some of the subjects for which learners are receiving performance recognition are so crucial and relevant to our national development,” she said.

She further said that the study of subjects such as entrepreneurship, economics, business studies, mathematics and science, as well as agriculture and technical vocational education, need to be encouraged in a vigorous manner.

Muashekele-Sibiya said these subjects are at the heart of national, regional and international efforts to transform the world.

She also said the theme of educational harmonisation and standardisation in aid of the continent’s transformation is further extended through the African Union (AU).

“Taking into account Africa’s values, historical experiences and development aspirations, we need to be producing Africans who will facilitate the attainment of the AU vision of the Africa we want,” she said.

Muashekele-Sibiya expressed that the fourth Sustainable Development Goal targets inclusive and equitable quality education, and promotes lifelong learning opportunities for all.