The poor academic results achieved last year in the Erongo Region should motivate educators and learners to strive for better results this year.

This is according to education stakeholders who took part in the annual consultative meeting at Swakopmund.

The class of 2023, Grade 11, and Advanced Subsidiary Level in Erongo performed poorly.

The region dropped from the 6th to the 11th position for AS level and from the 4th to the 6th position for grade 11.

The existing gender disparity in academic performance between boys and girls in Namibia poses an academic challenge, as Grades 1–12 from 2012–2019 were in favour of girls, with a high repetition and promotion rate among boys.

A report on 'Namibian Boys: Underachievement and Underparticipation in Education' indicates that self-distracting behaviour and withdrawing from learning activities among the boys are but some of the reasons.

In every 100 graduates, 70% are women.

The Students' Union of Namibia has called on the Ministry of Education, Arts, and Culture to speed up humanitarian efforts for flood-affected learners in the north.

The union says closing schools due to heavy rains will just worsen the already difficult academic situation.

The student movement further wants the government to find a permanent solution to the recurring problem.

The Students Union of Namibia says the ministry should be more proactive, especially when it comes to the floods often experienced in the north.