President Hage Geingob has called for the acceleration of plans to construct additional classrooms as a matter of urgency, in partnership with the August 26 Company.

The shortage of classrooms is among the challenges that Education Minister Anna Nghipondoka listed in her report to President Geingob for the dismal performance of grades 11 and 12 last year.

More than 80% of the candidates who sat for the NSSCO and NSSCAS exams failed to qualify for admission to tertiary institutions.

In her report, Nghipondoka says the absence of systematic support for both teachers and learners, declining discipline, and weak monitoring and evaluation at all levels of the basic education business are also problems.

The COVID-19 pandemic, the report states, did not present adequate time to master all academic competencies required to enable learners to progress successfully to the next grade.

The report goes on to say that this began at the height of the pandemic in the 2020 and 2021 academic years when students in grades 11 and 12 missed 53 of the 198 school days scheduled for face-to-face instruction.

To address the situation, the Education Ministry appealed for targeted funding for the procurement of temporary structures to ensure all learners have classrooms for teaching and learning, as well as the procurement of adequate teaching and learning resources.

Another is the development and implementation of regional and school-based academic improvement plans.

President Geingob says delivering quality education remains a shared responsibility that requires the involvement of all stakeholders, including learners, parents, and educators.

He further encouraged the Ministry to improve communication with stakeholders and citizens to enhance awareness and understanding of the intricacies of the revised curriculum.

The Head of State also cautioned that high failure rates lead to high repetition rates and a significant cost burden for the government, which undermines societal progress in general.