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Regional Directorates of Education

Hardap Region

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With the start of the year under review the Hardap Education Region was faced with the realities that the sharing of personnel with the Karas Education Region would not easily be done; the proposed structures for the newly established regions will not be realised in the short term; and, that learners in the region did not perform particularly well in the 2004 external examinations. Subsequently the region set itself the following objectives:

· to motivate each staff member on board to go the extra mile in order to achieve more efficiency;

· further develop and optimise the management skills of cluster centre principals and hostel superintendents;

· improve the quality of school management, teaching and learning;

· create a conducive working environment at both the regional and district education offices by upgrading the physical facilities;

· move money appropriated to the region but not fully utilised from one subdivision to another to enable the region to replace much needed and obsolete furniture and equipment at our schools and hostels; and

· optimally utilise the money appropriated for construction and renovation and to minimize expenditure on utilities.

 

What was realised right from the outset was that objectives in education should be much more comprehensive than those stated above, but the lack of staff at the regional office is an inhibiting and limiting factor. There is no way that a professional staff component (Inspectorate and Hostels Management) of only seven (7) staff members can really do justice to all aspects of formal education in this huge region with its scattered schools and villages.

One of our Inspectors of Education, who also performed the functions of Education Planner, was promoted and took office at Head Office that left a void that could hardly be filled by the two remaining Inspectors of Education. They are inter alia responsible for the management of 58 schools, examinations, planning and development, school board elections, investigations into unacceptable behaviour, confirmation of probationary appointments of principals, National Standards and Performance Indicators and a host of other responsibilities and functions incidental to their job. Corporate inspections were carried out at five under-performing schools which were assisted by the Advisory Teachers of the Karas Region. Ironically the performance of most of these schools did not improve compared to the previous year which put the usefulness of such exercises in question; especially if recommendations cannot be followed up due to shortage of personnel.

A number of probationary appointments of principals were confirmed. Thirty eight (38) principals in both circuits were trained on National Standards and Performance Indicators. The training was sponsored by the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ - Basic Education Project)).

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The Hostels Officer (who acts as Hostels Inspector without the payment of an allowance) supervises 17 Government Hostels in the region that accommodate 1 049 primary school and 1 147 secondary school hostel boarders. A total of 2 130 learners were accommodated in 21 registered private hostels that received a subsidy of N$6.50 per boarder per day. It remains a serious cause of concern that the subsidy paid by government to these hostels is not appropriately spent by managers. Inspections were conducted at 12 government hostels and following the training of Chief Boarding House Matrons in 2005, the overall performance was found to be satisfactory. Each Institution Worker was issued with protective clothing for the first time in 14 years and every boarder received a new mattress for the first time in 16 years. This was surely a major achievement that was sincerely appreciated by every recipient.

Two Advisory Teachers are responsible for Geography, History, Social Studies, National Science and Agriculture, while one is responsible for the Lower Primary Phase. The former two visited eight (8) schools during the year under review and assisted with the professional development of 38 subject teachers in Grades 5 to 12 at different schools in the region. One Advisory Teacher was trained as facilitator for the implementation of National Standards and Performance Indicators. All Advisory Teachers were also actively involved in Curriculum Panels, learning materials development and workshops pertaining to their respective fields of specialty. The Lower Primary Advisory Teacher paid visits to eleven schools for the purpose of professional development of teachers and 142 teachers were trained to implement the new curriculum for Grades 3-4.

The Regional School Counsellor retired on 31 December 2005 and no successor has been appointed as yet. Her activities and achievements included the following:

· The assessment of 28 learners with learning disabilities;

· counselling of 25 learners with delinquent behavioural problems;

training of 460 learners and 66 teachers on effective study methods;

· training of 57 teachers on basic counselling and another 63 on bereavement counselling; and, distribution of 7 000 cumulative record cards.

The personnel division among other things handled 57 new appointments, 10 promotions, 26 retirements and 150 resignations. The relatively high number of resignations by teachers in the region is a cause for concern. Clear-cut policy guidelines are needed to govern the re-employment of such teachers.

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Despite being still heavily understaffed, the finance division managed to distribute approximately 3 800 cheques and pay slips on time every month, completed about 8 500 salary advices per annum and successfully satisfied the needs and demands of utility and other service providers. There is a growing suspicion that some local authorities are overcharging the ministry for services rendered notwithstanding the vigilance of most principals and superintendents that are verifying accounts. The appointment of a Works Inspector will go a long way in addressing this matter. Procurement was done by one record clerk and a record number of desks, chairs and other office equipment were obtained. In addition, the stock control officer carried out seven stock control inspections and handing over was done at 13 stock control points. It is feared that, since one staff member is solely responsible for over 80 service points, coupled with a lack of transport, the ministry may suffer some losses due to a lack of proper control. Revenue inspections are done on an ad hoc basis by an accountant stationed in the Karas region – once again a situation that may result in losses to the state.

TEACHERS RESOURCE CENTRES (TRCs)

The regional TRC is situated in Mariental and the district TRC in Rehoboth. Both institutions were instrumental in curriculum reform courses, computer training, support to teachers and learners and facilitating meetings and activities of various stakeholders.

The Regional Education Office was refurbished and the District Education Office and TRC in Rehoboth were completely renovated with the kind assistance of the Federal Republic of Germany through KfW. It was officially inaugurated on 22 September 2005 by the Minister of Education, Honourable N. Mbumba. An amount of N$1 149 762.00 was allocated to the region for renovation purposes and was fully spent. N$1 000 000,00 was ear marked for the construction of classrooms and teacher houses but because tenders were awarded late in the fiscal year, part of the payments will only be done in the new financial year; a most unsatisfactory situation.

Notwithstanding the fact that staff members serving on the Regional Aids Committee on Education (RACE) are performing this function over and above their line functions, they are doing well in mitigating the effects of this pandemic. The implementation of the “Window of Hope” and “My Future my Choice” programmes is well on its way.

The single biggest constraint that is reported year after year but what seems to fall on deaf ears is the lack of government transport, coupled with a shortage of money for subsistence and travelling purposes. More than three years have elapsed since the establishment of the region but the region is still operating with a skeleton staff. This is causing inertia and lethargy to set in amongst staff members. The situation may soon become invidious. The average performance of Hardap region in the Grades 10 and 12 examinations in 2005 as opposed to its performance in previous years may result in questions being asked about the effectiveness of decentralisation.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

If serious attention is not paid to the above-mentioned constraints, it is feared that the implementation of the laudable Education and Training Sector Improvement Programme (ETSIP) in the region will be negatively affected.

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