08 May 2017

Ngamiland regional education director, Mr Galesengwe Mohube has urged school management to up their game by improving efficiency to increase performances in schools.

He made the plea during a meeting with school heads, their deputies and senior teachers, emphasising that as managers, they should play their supervisory role without fear and to improve results.

The purpose of the meeting was to review and track the performance of every teacher and class as they had been experiencing a decline in AB pass rate. The director said if primary schools could produce AB material there would be quality at junior schools.

Mr Mohube explained that they came up with an initiative to make management account for their poor results every term, as they had received complaints from teachers that senior teachers were not playing their part.

He said management should differentiate themselves from their juniors and understand that service came first, adding that some failed because they did not want to hurt their juniors.

“We believe the initiative will assist schools and also make us understand how much senior teachers are involved and helpful in their management roles. The initiative is meant to track the performance of every individual, and I hope teachers will get inspired and do as expected,” he added.

The director also appreciated that some schools were doing much better than others and stated that those struggling could also go an extra mile.

Mr Mohube said it had come to his attention that temporary teachers performed better than permanent ones. He added that it was a clear indication that permanent teachers felt they had secured jobs hence they failed students.

However, most senior teachers stated that results were declining because some teachers were failing students. It was reported that some teachers were regularly absent while some do not give students work nor mark their assignments.

One of the senior teachers at Popagano Junior Secondary School, Ms Bonolo Monyatsi explained that there were a lot of challenges associated with poor performance in the region.

She said shortage of resources and lack of teamwork between parents and teachers were some of  the challenges. “Mostly our orders arrive very late while on the other hand parents have neglected their children’s studies.”

In addition, Ms Monyatsi noted that some teachers were disgruntled because of having overstayed in one school.

Another senior teacher from Etsha 6, Mr David Kaazumikua explained that lack of supervision from management also contributed negatively to schools performance.

He also said most teachers were demoralised due to overstaying, adding that some had stayed for more than 10 years in one school.

He said teachers complained of poor working conditions and that they want to be transferred to areas with better facilities and services. Mr Kaazumikua said if government could address issues of teachers’ welfare, especially those in remote areas, that could motivate them.

Responding to some comments, Mr Mohube said they were currently dealing with the issue of overstaying. He said some teachers were reluctant to work in rural areas, especially Okavango District, adding that most of them declined the appointment as they felt it was far. BOPA