The Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture (MEIYSAC) has called for renewed efforts to improve learner outcomes in the Hardap Region, particularly at the senior secondary level.
The call was made by Minister Sanet Steenkamp during a structured engagement with regional education officials, principals, heads of department and other stakeholders in Mariental on Friday.
The engagement followed the presentation of regional education statistics showing a decline in the number of learners qualifying for Advanced Subsidiary, or AS, level in 2024, before a significant improvement in 2025.
Regional Director of Education Paulus Lewin said 1,389 candidates enrolled for Ordinary Level in 2023, of whom 232 qualified for AS level. In 2024, 1 337 candidates enrolled, with only 184 qualifying for AS level.
However, the number increased to 295 out of 1 147 candidates in 2025. This translated to an improvement in the qualification rate from 13.7% in 2024 to 25.7% in 2025.
Education Director for Hardap Region, Paulus Lewin stressed, "Since my start in the region, five years ago, we launched what we call the Regional Turnaround Strategic Plan, which is our guiding map to say: where do we want to see ourselves in five years' time? It is critical that we have a roadmap that indicates to us, "This is the direction that we must take."
He identified mathematics, economics, agriculture, biology, chemistry, physics and accounting among subjects that continue to present challenges.
The programme will be hosted at selected sites, including Aranos, Mariental and Gibeon.
"We have three circuits. The AOUB circuit is where we are today in Mariental. Those are the numbers of schools: government schools, private schools, provider schools, senior secondary, and junior secondary. It brings us 26 in total schools that we have in the overall circuit. In the north circuit, we have government and private, 17 government and one private, and in total it gives us 18. Then we have a circuit, where we have 20 government schools, one private school, and in total 21 schools. Which gives us roughly, I think, if we are doing our sums right, it should bring us to 65 schools in the region at the end of the day."
Minister Steenkamp welcomed the region's improved AS-level performance but said the education system must place greater emphasis on foundational learning rather than focusing predominantly on senior secondary grades.
"There's a lot of realignment that must take place. Our focus generally is on the senior secondary grades, which is 12. And that is why, a few years ago as the executive director, I coined, sat and looked at what our problem is. We must return to the fundamentals. And we coined it, and we said, 'Foundations first, excellence always.' I'm getting goosebumps. I realise the magnitude of the experience in this room when you were speaking. You have strengths in knowledge and skills that I will never, if, all I need is an application and maybe the right level of resource allocation to support you with what you are saying we need to do."