The Directorate of Education, Arts, and Culture in the Oshikoto Region and its stakeholders have proposed the re-introduction of a trimester system for schools from 2025 onwards.

A total of 46 participants, including learners, teachers, parents, and the public at large, gathered on Monday at Ekulo Secondary School for a regional consultation meeting on the government school calendar for the 2025 academic year.

The meeting was about concerns and proposals aired around semesters (two terms per year) and trimesters (three terms).

The concerns of the semester revolve around the length of the semester, fatigue among learners, and difficulty in curriculum planning. The trimester concerns revolve around the need to adjust the calendar, leading to learners having their holiday during the cold winter of June and July, minimising the examination time and maximising teaching time.

Hai||om Traditional Authority vice chairperson, Ndapandula Kamati, said that the trimester is best because it gives learners time to prepare for exams at the end of the year.

The education directorate is gathering feedback and forwarding it to the Ministry of Education, Arts, and Culture Executive Director, Sanet Steenkamp.

Oshikoto Education Directorate Head, Aletta Eises, meanwhile, also urged parents to start monitoring their children and setting a good example for them.

“Parents must set a good example for our learners for the best interest of our learners,” said Eises, noting that the parents are on the ground and they hold the huge responsibility to uplift and motivate learners to become responsible citizens in the future.

Eises also pointed out that many Grade 10 learners in the region are transferred to Grade 11 this year, and this might not produce positive results compared to the previous Grade 11 results that put the region at position 4 in the 2023 results.

This year, the Oshikoto Region has 81,727 learners and 382 teachers in 229 schools.