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Parents of learners who wrote Grade 11 examinations last year at Savo Nuts Private School at Oshikango in the Ohangwena Region are unhappy about the withholding of their children's results.

Irregularities were detected among 27 learners who sat for the Grade 11 examinations last year at the school; hence, the school withheld the results of the suspected learners.

A team of officials from the Ministry of Education headquarters office was dispatched to the school to investigate the matter.

A decision was then taken to withhold learners' results who had similarities in their answers, and this angered the parents, who are up in arms, saying their children are sitting at home, psychologically affected because they are unable to continue schooling this year.

"We have chosen this route because our letter to the ED of the Ministry of Education, dated February 20, 2024, concerning the same issue was only acknowledged and never responded to. Also, calls made by some parents to your office through the Deputy Director, Ms. Palisha Ngulu, did not yield the desired results," said one of the parents, Salmi Kateta.

However, according to reliable information, the results of the suspected learners were nullified, and the suspected learners were banned from writing Grade 11 exams this year as a punishment for the alleged malpractice.

The matter is in court, as there were attempts to de-register the school.

The school portal was also locked to restrict the school from registering learners to sit for the 2024 examination for Grades 11.

Parents took their petition to the Ohangwena Education Director, Isack Hamatwi, in an attempt to get a satisfactory answer from the Education Ministry.

"As parents with confidence in the Namibian examination system, we would like a clear explanation and concrete evidence that justify the withholding of our children's results. As it is, we have lost two years of our children's lives as well as resources utilised during the same period when we entrusted our children to the school that you registered to teach and administer national examinations," they said.

Hamatwi promised to forward their petition to the relevant authorities.

Savo Nuts Private School Director Shingirai Mbuzi could not comment much on the matter, saying it is before the courts, but called on the Minister of Education, Anna Nghipondoka, to investigate the matter internally for an amicable solution.

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Tonateni Haimbodi