The Ministry of Education, Arts, and Culture Executive Director Sanet Steenkamp has described the 2022 school year calendar as fast-paced.

Steenkamp has highlighted the 14 regional consultations, which the ministry undertook to engage stakeholders on how to better the education sector and have great learner outcomes.
The 14 regional consultations resulted in the national education conference, which was hosted by the ministry in August this year.

The conference, Steenkamp says, was a guiding tool for the ministry's seven-year education plan.

"That implementation plan is still to be costed and to be resubmitted to cabinet, but we are hopeful that there will be collaboration, communication, and working together with other line ministries and also other institutions, the unions, and our development partners."

The ministry has also worked closely with local communities in the Omaheke Region regarding intangible cultural heritage.

Steenkamp says that the ministry is working towards having the Holly Fire listed by UNESCO.

"There is much more awareness raising around traditional live skills in all of our regions, as well as the issue of taking up and restoring fun and creativity to culture and indigenous games that are being practiced."

Steenkamp also touched on the two-year-old Advanced Subsidiary Curriculum.

She says the results of the curriculum, which has about 29 subjects, may not be visible immediately.

"We are well aware that our children still struggle with a higher order thinking skills, we need to do much more training and for that we need more resource, but in terms of doing an evaluation, those are things that children struggle with, subject content not so much, but also where we need to improve on are the practices, the sciences, so we do know that there are interactive platforms on WhatsApp, however come 2023, all the regions will have to pay special attention to continuous development"