The public relations officer at the Swakopmund Municipality says there is a need to have trauma centers in Namibia for both teachers and learners to provide a safe space that will enable them to talk and be heard.
According to Linda Mupupa, unresolved childhood trauma can hinder the performance of both teachers and learners.
She said this during an open discussion on improving education results for 2023 held at the Swakopmund Municipality.
Mupupa says trauma in itself causes a barrier, which makes it difficult to receive or give love, and as a teacher, it's important to know how to recognize love and also how to show love to the children that one is teaching in the classroom.
She says childhood trauma or past trauma makes it difficult for one to be considerate towards the feelings of another, which makes it difficult for one to teach with passion.
It is critical, she says, that the nation recognizes and respects the role that teachers play in the lives of children. A happy teacher will result in a happy, performing child.
Hence the suggestion for trauma centers for teachers—a safe space for them to speak and open up about their problems and find healing.
Mupupa says trauma is not recognized or that nobody sees it as a problem in the black community.
"By allowing space for teachers to just come there and talk, and then release this trauma in an environment where they leave it there and do not take their trauma back to the classroom, the poor children being taught by these teachers will not have to experience their trauma again; they will leave as a better person with a better mindset and will also be able to teach in a different way; they will be passionate."
She adds that the world has evolved, including its methods of interaction.
Jedidiah Kamatoto, a Grade 11 student at Namib High School, agrees with the suggestion.
"We should have in all schools a counselor for at least each student because if I were a student who had problems at home, every day I would go home to fights, abuse, and a lot of responsibilities. Young girls are sometimes forced to become mothers for their siblings because their parents are absent and they must care for their siblings. I would not be able to focus in the classroom; I would not be able to pay attention to what the teacher is saying while I am constantly thinking of what I have to eat at home. I believe that children in school need to listen."
She added that Namibian young school-going children lack self-discipline and respect.
"Respect for themselves. Respect for their peers who are listening in classrooms while they are being disruptive; respect for their teachers who sacrifice their time every day to educate the learners; our Namibian children in schools simply need respect; and self-respect to set aside time at home every day to open your books and study."