The Deputy Minister of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture, Dino Ballotti, emphasised that assigning non-promotional subjects to teachers who do not qualify to teach them is not the policy of the ministry.

He was responding to concerns raised by IPC MP Bertha Nghifikwa regarding teachers being assigned to teach additional subjects that they do not qualify for.

"Schools with approximately 240 learners get a dedicated additional life skills teacher, while schools with an enrolment of 600 to 1,200 learners qualify for an additional two life skills teachers," said Balloti. "A school with fewer than the threshold for an additional post is still expected to teach life skills. In such schools, one or more existing teachers can be designated to teach life skills with appropriate in-service professional development in life skills guidance and counselling."

Balloti noted that there is a shortage of trained and qualified teachers in physical education, and those teachers who possess a passion for sports and human movement typically provide assistance and receive support.

"In Namibia, PE for Life, which is physical education for life, is particularly useful for empowering teachers who are not formally qualified as physical education specialists. It does so mainly by giving them practical methods, structured lesson material and training rather than requiring them to have a full PE qualification."