The Ministry of Education, Arts, and Culture (MoEAC) has agreed to reduce the ratio of learners per teacher for the 2023 academic year.

A letter issued to Nampa on Tuesday signed by MoEAC Executive Director Sanet Steenkamp said this comes after the ministry and the Namibia National Teacher Union (Nantu) in a meeting on Friday mutually resolved to reduce learners per class following mutual concern about the poor performance in the 2022 Namibia Senior Secondary Certificate Ordinary Level and Namibia Senior Secondary Certificate Advanced Subsidiary Level examinations.

Windhoek Rural Councilor, Piet Adams, has assured Mix informal settlement residents that a primary school will be opened in the area over the next three months.

Adams' assurance came after community members pleaded with the government to open up a school, stressing that their children are denied an education due to the lack of school facilities in the area. 

The school, which was constructed in 2017, could not be opened due to a lack of water and electricity.

The partially built school has a block of three classrooms, an office, and toilet facilities.

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 Executive Director of the Ministry of Education, Arts, and Culture has apologized to stakeholders who felt offended by recent utterances from the Ministry, saying any offense was unintentional.

Sanet Steenkamp appeared on nbc's Talk of The Nation to discuss the readiness of schools to begin.

The Executive Director of the Ministry of Education, Arts, and Culture, Sanet Steenkamp, has expressed excitement over the start of the new school year.

Steenkamp says the ministry is fully aware of the current public dialogue regarding the education system, noting that the complex system requires commitment, involvement, and action from all stakeholders to produce quality results.

The executive director has called on all involved to find context-based solutions while taking full ownership of education in the country.

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.

The Executive Director at the Ministry of Education, Arts, and Culture, Sanet Steenkamp, says her ministry continues to face many challenges.

Steenkamp specifically pointed out the way the community and stakeholders perceive education as a major hurdle.

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.