The Minister of Education, Arts, and Culture, Anna Nghipondoka, has vowed to resolve the challenges encountered by parents during the school registration process.

She emphasised that it is unacceptable that parents continue to face such difficulties, particularly while facing harsh weather conditions.

Nghipondoka was responding to a question by RP MP Herlinde Tjiveze regarding the challenges faced by parents in securing school placements for their children in grades zero and one.

Education Minister Anna Nghipondoka expressed deep concern over the widespread frustration expressed by stakeholders regarding poor academic performances.

In response to these concerns, the minister has initiated regional consultations to develop concrete intervention strategies aimed at improving performance at all educational levels.

Nghipondoka acknowledged that despite the ministry's extensive efforts to address education outcomes, there are persistent root causes that present significant challenges.

252 students graduated from the School of Education at the University of Namibia (UNAM) in Windhoek.

The graduates received diplomas and degrees in lifelong learning, community education, educational management and leadership, and junior primary education.

The graduates were encouraged to be job creators instead of job seekers.

UNAM's Acting Chancellor, Professor Frednard Gideon, urged the graduates to help solve challenges such as factors that prevent children from accessing quality education, poverty, gender disparity, and disability.

The Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture says it will strive towards the achievement of its key mandate of ensuring conducive teaching and learning in the country's education system.

Anna Nghipodoka said this while motivating her ministry's budgetary allocation of N$16.7 billion for 2023/24 financials in the National Assembly.

In a close to 36-page speech, the Education, Arts, and Culture Minister took time to explain where the biggest chunk of the country's national budget will be used for.

The renovated classrooms at Malundu Junior Primary School in the Sibbinda Constituency have been handed over to the Ministry of Basic Education, Arts and Culture.

The classrooms are part of a grant from the Japanese government for grassroots human security projects.

The block is meant to help accommodate the 104 four learners registered at the school from Grades 0 to 4.

Speaking at the handover, Japan's Ambassador to Namibia, Nishimaki Hisao handed over the classrooms.

The Ministry of Education, Arts, and Culture says it remains open to dialogue with teachers' unions and student organizations and takes note of the frustrations in order to find solutions.

The change of tone follows after the unions and student bodies expressed dismay at the blame game meted out against the teachers by Minister of Education Anna Nghipondoka over the failure rate.

The Minister of Education, Arts, and Culture, Anna Nghipondoka, says factors such as resource shortages and COVID-19 disruptions have affected the finalization of the curriculum reform process, ultimately contributing to the outcome of last year's examination results.

Despite the shortcomings noted, she says successes were recorded.

The minister spoke ahead of the launch of the academic school year, which is tomorrow.

The Namibia National Teachers Union (NANTU) has joined the chorus of those denouncing the sentiments expressed by the Education, Arts, and Culture Minister, Anna Nghipondoka.

NANTU acting President Daniel Humbu says Nghipondoka's sentiments, in which she squarely placed blame on teachers and education regional directors, are misplaced.

The union leadership is not reacting kindly to the minister's address when she announced the historic failure rate of the 2022 final examination results in December last year.

President Hage Geingob has expressed disappointment with the Namibia Senior Secondary Certificate Ordinary and Advanced Subsidiary Level results released by the Ministry of Education, Arts, and Culture.

This was confirmed by Presidential Press Secretary Dr. Alfredo Hengari.

Dr. Hengari says the President has thus requested a report from the Minister of Education, Arts, and Culture, Anna Nghipondoka, to explain what went wrong.

The report will be tabled before Cabinet, whereupon the government will decide on the next course of action.

Over 30,000 learners who sat for the Namibia Senior Secondary Certificate Ordinary and the Advanced Subsidiary Levels have failed to qualify for admission to tertiary education institutions, and the Trade Union Congress of Namibia (TUCNA) Secretary General, Mahongora Kavihuha, described the situation as unfortunate and a great cause for concern.

38,013 learners sat for the full-time examinations, and only over 5,000 scored 25 points or higher. The remaining ones must figure out their next step.