The |Khomas Education Directorate held an education meeting to discuss interventions around national result improvement strategies and other education-related matters.
Statistics from the ministry reveal that the region's learner population has risen from 90,360 in 2019 to 106,650 to date, representing an annual increase of about 2,650 learners.
|Khomas Regional Council Chairperson John Moonde says this increase requires at least 72 new classes and three fully-fledged schools to be constructed on an annual basis.
He added that the regional council, under its Minor Capital Projects Programme, would undertake initiatives like the Back to School Programme, providing schools with laboratory equipment, renovation and upgrading of classrooms, and procurement of chairs, desks, stationery, and textbooks.
"I am purposely reflecting this to confirm to you that as the |Khomas regional leadership, we have an unwavering commitment to the advancement of education in our region; we know our shortcomings in education; we know the state of our performances; and we have ongoing efforts and strategies to address the situation in this region. We are continuously responding to the state of our education in our region with practical interventions and visible and tangible ongoing developments."
Education Ministry Deputy Minister Faustina Caley noted that additional relief would come from an increase in the Universal Education grant, from N$200 to N$300 monthly for pre-primary and primary school learners, and from N$300 to N$400 for secondary school learners.
"The increase in fund allocation to schools means that we also need to strengthen our financial controls and safeguards at the school level and spend the funds on activities that would make the most impact in teaching and learning. We understand that funds will never be enough and resources will never be enough, but with the little bit we are giving, you have to demonstrate the impact it made."
The Education Director for the |Khomas Region, Paulus Nghikembua, urged staff to use innovative teaching methods, particularly when dealing with junior primary learners in a fundamental stage of their lifelong learning.
He further encouraged learners to harvest a sense of responsibility to maintain a high educational standard.
"Dear learners, our hopes are on you. Teachers are doing their part; do your part to know and pass. Over the past few weeks, some of you had the opportunity to attend multiple career fairs to experience the different careers and study opportunities out there. Start preparing for your future now."