Education in Namibia
After much time
reflecting on my internship in Namibia, research, and class readings and
discussions, I am left with more questions than answers concerning the state of
education in Namibia. How can Namibia
decrease inequalities in resource allocation, low levels of social capital, and
challenges of English language learning?
Below I present a few potential solutions for each of these areas based
on my experiences and research.
Resource Allocation
Social Capital
English Language Learning
Resource Allocation
- Be sure all schools have basic needs met, especially adequate classroom and bathroom facilities, before allocating technology resources including computers, Smart Boards, and projectors
- Offer teachers incentives in the form of monetary benefits and professional development opportunities to increase the presence of quality teachers in rural areas
- Ensure administrators and key members that distribute resources and funds are aware of the most cost-effective areas of investment in education, based on reliable research and evaluation of spending
- Eliminate corruption in the government, particularly at the local levels, to ensure funds reach their intended targets
- Equalize per student spending, with additional resources for special needs students
Social Capital
- Emphasize parent
involvement whenever possible in their child’s education by providing opportunities for parents to come to the school, communicate with teachers, and encourage their children academically
- Offer additional compensation to counselors and teachers to help students with post-graduation plans either in tertiary education or the work force
- Whenever possible, expose students to adults who act as leaders in their field or community leaders
- Create more sports, clubs, and extra curricular activities for students to become engaged in
- Promote cross-school communication and interaction on a common project, initiative, or group to expand students peer relationships
- Use mentoring programs within schools or between primary and secondary schools to create relationships between younger and older students
English Language Learning
- Equip teachers with the knowledge and resources to have confidence in their own English skills, and thus ability to teach students in English
- Emphasize the importance of retaining native languages when learning English by engaging in cultural activities and studies
- Integrate English language learning into content subjects to enhance student’s understanding of the language and more closely match the material student’s will be exposed to in their national examinations
- Whenever possible, teachers should try to work with individuals or small groups of students to give more attention to those struggling to learn English
- Promote one-on-one or small group work where students with higher English proficiency work with lower English level students