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Directorates
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Head Office Directorates Directorate Of Higher Education |
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| INTRODUCTION
The higher education sub sector is a major contributor to the attainment and support of the national development aspirations and goals. It is a direct role player in the current development efforts of reduction in unemployment; increase in productivity, especially in value-added productivity; poverty alleviation; and, equitable economic growth resulting in better quality of life for all Namibians by 2030. The Directorate has committed itself to contribute to the national goals by ensuring the efficient production and supply of skilled human resources. The directorate manages and administers the teacher education and training colleges and liaises with higher institutions of learning, particularly the University of Namibia (UNAM) and the Polytechnic of Namibia in terms of policy directives and financial provision for them to meet their mandates.
To manage colleges of education
to ensure the effective and efficient use of resources and quality
outputs; and work together with other public higher institutions of
learning and major stake holders to ensure cooperation, liaison and
cross-fertilization within the higher education sub sector. POLICY FRAMEWORK
The National Council for Higher Education was launched in November 2005. The Council is fully operational and it has established committees that will help it achieve the required objectives. The launch and operationalisation of the advisory council on teacher education and training had to be delayed due to inadequate funding for the technical assistance and capacity building programs planned for both the members of the advisory body and the secretariat. OBJECTIVES AND GOALSThe specific objectives of the Directorates were to:
PROGRAMMES AND ACTIVITIES
INCLUSIVE EDUCATION
The Directorate has provided a tertiary programme for visually impaired students at Ongwediva College of Education and Valombola Vocational Training Centre. The students that were enrolled at the two institutions were given preferential admission instead of the stipulated admission requirements. A consideration was made that the students were not previously taught by appropriately qualified teachers (for the visual impaired) during their secondary school education. The visual impaired students who were admitted in the established unit were promoted to the second year after successfully passing their first year examinations. The unit developed materials in Braille and many text books and study guides were translated into Braille for the visually impaired students to be able to read them and be able to prepare for the examinations. Computer equipment for the visual impairment unit has been installed already. The classroom areas at the two institutions are compatible with the training of visually impaired students. However, the hostels at Ongwediva College of Education have to be adjusted to make them more compliant. PLANNING
FOR HIGHER EDUCATION
The Directorate participated in the formulation of the Education and Training Sector Improvement Plan (ETSIP). Higher education has been identified as the catalyst which will enable the nation to meet the targeted goals and objectives of the third National development Plan NDP3 and Vision 2030. The development of high quality human capital is necessary in order to fill the human resource shortages and knowledge gaps as prerequisites to the achievement of Vision 2030. In the higher education sub-sector, ETSIP covers the following main areas:
It is expected that the strategic framework will provide the basis for the elaboration of programs and action plans for all stakeholders in the sub-sector. The Directorate has developed its annual plan in accordance with the ETSIP guidelines and deadlines are targeted in accordance with the ETSIP stated objectives. TRAINING
OF NAMIBIAN SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS AT ZIMBABWEAN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS The
program is aimed at increasing the supply of teachers in Mathematics,
General Science and Agriculture Science. The training of Namibian students
in Teacher Education at VOLUNTEER SERVICES
The Ministry renewed the agreement with International Foundation for Education and Self-Help (IFESH), to provide technical assistance in the area of education and training. This has enabled the directorate to continue benefiting from the technical assistance that the Foundation offers. Six volunteers joined the Directorate and rendered voluntary services at Ongwediva, Caprivi and for the first time, at Rundu College of Education and Head Office. The lecturers are experts in the fields of Education Theory and Practice, Mathematics, Natural Science and Project Planning and Management. Each year, a new group of about six volunteers joins the colleges to render services in the various subjects. STAFF
DEVELOPMENT At
the beginning of the BETD programme, many volunteer organizations offered
assistance with the capacity building of lecturers and managers in the
colleges. After almost a decade, the Directorate and the colleges now
coordinate their own staff development needs. The Ministry introduced a
staff development fund to assist staff members to upgrade their
qualifications. During the
year under review, some staff members were assisted financially
to acquire
qualifications by enrolling with some higher education institutions in the
country and outside the country. This assistance towards staff development
has enabled both lecturing and non lecturing staff to pursue studies
resulting in higher qualifications. Two lecturers from Ongwediva College
of Education were granted two-year scholarships by the GRN International
Pty Ltd, an Australian project, to study for Master Degrees in Science and
Mathematics in universities in Many staff members participated in training courses and seminars in subjects such as gender, HIV and AIDS, leadership and management, policy studies, ICT, Special Education, Financial Management, Project Planning and Research Proposals Writing, ICT, and Action Research, Professional Development Highlights from Colleges ·
The post of Rector at Rundu College of
Education has been vacant since the secondment of the incumbent to the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs as an Ambassador to ·
The ICT centres/computer laboratories
were officially opened at all colleges.
The computer laboratories were furnished with the generous
assistance of NIED and iNET. All
colleges now have access to Internet facilities.
At CONSTRAINTS
· The high turnover rate of academic staff in all colleges continues to affect the training program as it takes at least 2 months to fill the vacant positions. The high turnover is forcing the colleges to continue relying on expatriate lecturers. · Budgetary constraints resulted in the directorate's inability to honour its contractual obligation to pay for utilities, catering, photocopier rentals and security services. CONCLUSION
AND PLANS
FOR 2006
The Directorate should focus on streamlining the use of electricity, water, telephones, security services, hired equipment and catering services at all its institutions to ensure cost effectiveness. There should be more concerted effort to ensure implementation of the Higher Education objectives as envisaged under ETSIP.
© Ministry of Education - Namibia 2008 |
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