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Directorates
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Head Office Directorates Directorate of Adult Basic Education |
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Introduction The
main function of the Directorate of Adult Basic Education is to provide
opportunities for adults in
Main Activities and Achievements
Distribution
of Financial and Human Resources. A
National Policy on Adult Learning is now in place and its operation is
pending legal advice. The policy seeks to establishment of a formula for
funding adult basic education activities in the country and progress has
been made in this regard. In
addition, supplementary readers for Otjiherero and Khoekhoegowab have been
written, but could not be submitted to the publishers for printing due to
financial constraints. Little
has been done to revise and print the second editions for stages 2 and 3
promoter’s handbook due to financial constraints.
Adult
Learners and Literacy The
adult learners’ week was celebrated country wide to sensitise all
Namibians how illiteracy can affect a human beings life in our very fast
developing world. Adult
Learners’ Week/International Literacy Day is celebrated yearly in
September (1-8 September) by the Directorate of Adult Basic Education.
The theme for the year under review was “Creative Literacy”.
Literacy Promoters’ initial training courses were conducted in all 13
regions for both the National Literacy Programme in Namibia (NLPN) and
Adult Upper Primary Education (AUPE) promoters.
Little has been done to train recruited AUPE promoters as agreed
during the year under review. The
activity has been put on hold due to lack of expertise in regions. In
order to increase productivity and offer quality service to the nation,
the Directorate successfully coordinated training on filing and record
keeping, financial management planning, secretariat courses and computer
courses at NAMCOL. The
Directorate further trained 38 family literacy promoters and 36 district
literacy officers on issues related to family literacy programme.
As part of networking with other partners, the Directorate
conducted training workshops for 30 Special Field Force and 15 NAMWATER
employees. The trainees were
trained at the level of our literacy promoters to enable them to teach
other. Others were trained at district literacy organizers in order to
enable them to supervise literacy programmes in their own organisations.
To
ensure more access to learning materials, four outstanding AUPE modules
that were with Solitaire Press Close have been printed and distributed to
regions. Seven AUPE syllabi
were submitted to NIED Curriculum Coordinating Committee (CCC) for
comments, suggestions and approval during the year under review.
The progress is that all were approved with minor corrections.
Efforts were made to translate 8 stages 1 and 2 materials into Braille to
cater for visually impaired learners enrolled in literacy classes country
wide. The translation into
Braille was done in Community
Learning and Development Centres. Currently,
each region has one community learning and development centre serviced
with water, electricity and telephone line.
Among the equipment provided, are photocopy machines, computers,
fax machines and various books on many aspects of socio-economic
development for the communities. Information
Communication and Technology (ICT) could not be introduced in all the
established CLDCs due to financial constraints.
However, four CLDCs have been serviced with ICTs and negotiations
have started to introduce ICTs in the remaining CLDCs. Multi-level
Learning Activities The
NLPN curriculum was supposed to be revised and printed.
This activity has been put on hold pending the overall evaluation
of the literacy programme. Cabinet
has approved the amendment to the Education Act, 2001 (Act No. 16 of 2001)
to allow for the establishment of the National Council on Adult Learning.
The purpose of the National Council on Adult Learning is to advise the
Minister of Education in matters relating to adult education and adult
learners. Other
Activities Visits
were made to all 13 Educational Regions as an internal evaluation to
assess progress and render support to the ongoing activities in the
regions. During the year
under review, 23 738 learners enrolled in three stages of the National
Literacy Programme and were taught by 1 319 literacy promoters.
Of those enrolled, 65% were female.
The percentage of male enrolled learners had increased compared to
previous academic year, from 28% to 35% during the reporting year.
Of those enrolled, 67% were tested and 57% of the learners tested
obtained Grade A-D out the scale of A-E.
During the same year, 6 212 learners enrolled in Adult Upper
Primary Education (AUPE) programme country wide and were taught by 428
promoters. A
total of 103 entrepreneurs were trained in basic business management
during the year under review (9 in Erongo, 15 in Ohangwena, 20 in Oshana,
25 in Oshikoto and 34 in Khomas) and 8 out of 103 trained entrepreneurs
were granted loans to start small scale income generation businesses.
Brochures about the Adult Skills Development for Self-Employment (ASDSE)
have been revised and are ready for printing.
Funding for printing will be covered by ASDSE Trust Fund. The
survey conducted on AUPE indicates that there is a gap between stage 3 and
AUPE, which needs to be overcome. So
far, much has been done to implement the outcomes of the AUPE survey. The
Directorate was supposed to assess the impact of the National Literacy
Programme on learners. This
activity has been put on hold due to budgetary constraints until the
fiscal year 2006/2007. Kwedam stage 1 primer has been developed into local
language of the Khwe people in Eastern Kavango and Monitoring
the Progress of Adult Learners.The database project has been implemented with
assistance from the Association for the Development of Education in Africa
(ADEA) Working Group on Education Statistics and Working Group on
Non-Formal Education (NESIS) programme. It is gratifying to report that
the Database has been designed. The
next activity is to test and make adjustments if need be.
Little has been done to devise monitoring strategies for policy on
national education standards and competencies for institutions in adult
education. Strategies are yet
to be developed for implementation during the year 2006. Family
Literacy Programme. More has been done on the implementation of the
Family Literacy Programme. The
evaluation of the Pilot Phase was done in all Regions.
As a result, two more additional schools were added per region.
Thirty eight Family Literacy promoters and thirty six District
Literacy Organizers were trained on matters related to the Family Literacy
Programme. Currently, three
Family Literacy centers per region have been established.
The Guideline Document on the Family Literacy Programme was
reviewed. The meetings changed
from once per week to thrice a week. The
implementation period changed from May - August to January - April.
In general, the programme is being welcomed by members of the
community, especially parents of grade one learners and school managements
where it operates. Little has
been done to improve the quality and access to information on early
childhood development in the community learning and development centres.
Strategies are yet to be developed.
. Integration
of Learners with Disabilities After
a vigorous mobilization campaign for adult literacy, eight (8) visually
impaired classes were established (4 in Ohangwena, 3 in Oshikoto and 1 in
Omusati regions) and one (1) deaf impaired class was established in
Kavango region. The
Directorate is working hard to have both visually and deaf impaired adult
learners on board in all 13 regions. Strategic
Planning and General Services Once
a year the Directorate brings together regional and head office staff to
review, plan and draw up resolutions for the implementation of activities
of the Directorate. This
activity took place as planned. The
Directorate also managed to buy 10 new computers and related software, 8
office chairs, 2 desks, 2 bookcases and 2 filing cabinets for staff
members during the year under review to the tune of N$92 620.79. Problems and Constraints
·
The
NLPN is experiencing low attendance by learners and obtaining statistical
information from regions sometimes takes long to reach Head Office.
The Directorate was unable to extend the micro-lending scheme to
other educational regions due to lack of funds to conduct training for
entrepreneurs, country wide. Some
NLPN and AUPE materials were not revised and reprinted due to financial
constraints. The training of
recruited AUPE promoters did not take place due to lack of expertise in
regions. Strategies for
monitoring policy implementation to ensure that learners’ progress well
between institutions have not yet been developed. The production of some
AUPE modules 3 is still outstanding. Some
literacy learners are still taught under the shade of tree, without chairs
and desks. Learners have to
sit on the ground or on tree roots, tins and logs.
The worst inconvenience is experienced when learners have to rest
their exercise books on their laps to write.
Conclusions and Recommendations
·
DABE should search for workable coordination with
other stakeholders to extend the micro-lending scheme to reach all adult
literacy learners in the 13 political regions. In addition, a proper
mobilization campaign to convince male adults to participate in adult
literacy programmes should be devised. ·
More effort is needed by all stake holders to
realise the objective of reaching 90% adult literacy by the year 2015.
The preparations should include reprinting out of stock NLPN and
AUPE materials and printing of all outstanding modules of AUPE courses.
Consideration should be made to finalise AUPE course syllabi and to
extend AUPE to reach the equivalents of Grades 8 and 9 of Formal Education
to close the gap between DABE and NAMCOL.
© Ministry of Education - Namibia 2008 |
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