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Registration of grade 11, 12 learners for national examinations

Mariselle Stofberg

A discussion on the registration of grade 11 and 12 learners for national examinations took place last week at the communication centre in Windhoek.

Elizabeth Ndjendja, the deputy director of national examinations, said registration entails the capturing of details of learners who wish to write grade 11 or 12 examinations this year.

“To capture personal information means we need to get the name, surname, gender and date of birth of learners, along with additional information on the subjects learners intend to write,” she added.

Registration would have commenced in January, but Covid-19 has delayed this process, although the ministry remains committed to ensuring registration takes place seamlessly.

Ndjendja said registration of learners is twofold. The initial stage is to capture information at the centres, which include schools for fulltime students and examination centres for part-time learners. The process has also started to migrate to the digital sphere. The second stage is the verification of data captured.

Logistics of registration

The logistics of registration for fulltime and part-time learners differ. “With regards to fulltime learners, their teachers manage registration easily, because learners are still in school, but part-time candidates need to take themselves to centres for registration. As a part-time candidate, you need to be guided throughout the year for you to succeed. Institutions like the Namibian College of Open Learning (Namcol) help students who want to re-sit for exams to prepare adequately, but that does not mean you have registered for exams,” Ndjendja added.

Registration started on Monday, 26 February and is expected to end on 12 March. The verification stage starts on 19 April and will continue until 30 April for fulltime candidates, but will end a week later for part-time candidates.

“The registration data is essential to ensure the quantity of exanimation papers printed is correct to prevent over- and under-printing and allows us to adequately plan for marking centres and venues, appointing of markers per subject, and ensuring planning is done in advance and correct for exams which are to be written in October and November,” Ndjendja said.

“We have experienced so many challenges in the past, especially with verification, and we urge learners to not miss these deadlines. Candidates realise just before exams their subjects captured are incorrect, which creates various problems. The directorate of National Examinations and Assessment (DNEA) does not register candidates, we simply work with data captured at centres. Eventually we pass it on to centres to verify if all required data is captured and correct. If you miss the verification you might be left out,” Ndjendja said.

Planning and adhering to deadlines

She added that they usually experience a last-minute rush during the last week of registration, and urged schools and candidates not to wait for a week before the deadline.

Malcolm Kambanzera, the secretary for education, training and research at the Namibia National Students Organisation (Nanso), said Nanso had analysed the grade 11 and 12 results and seen the resilience of learners.

“Teachers have shown tenacity and determination to assist learners, but it is important to note that results have shown there are those learners who are systematically disadvantaged and have felt the impact of the digital divide that made online or e-learning extremely difficult. You could see they have not had face-to-face education, and it has significantly impacted their grades,” he added.

Kambanzera said Nanso remained committed to ensuring that learners, parents and teachers are sensitised regarding examinations to ensure learners are registered on time.

“We have regional structures throughout the country that will work hand in hand with DNEA and the ministry to go to schools or engage schools virtually to ensure they are informed, and registration is done correctly,” Kambanzera said.

“What the nation needs to understand is that running national examinations and systems which are built on deadlines requires meticulous and extensive planning,” Ndjendja said.

Fact box: Essentials needed for registration

Fulltime candidates – Schools have the birth certificate and identification documents (IDs) of learners, with the subject information of each learner.

Part-time candidates- Need their identity document which is either an ID, voter card or driver’s licence, statement of exams written previously or a certificate that shows exams candidates have taken before. This year you will need to enter your previous candidate number as well. You also need to show proof that you have paid for tuition through Namcol or part-time centres that assisted you throughout the year. You will also need your original ID to enter the exam halls.