Let the children speak

Rivaldo KavangaThe Children’s World Survey was carried out in the Khomas Region in 2018 as part of the third round of the International Survey of Children’s Well-being (ISWeB). In total, 2124 grade 4 and grade 6 learners in 31 schools participated in the survey. The questionnaires were adapted, tested and translated into Afrikaans, English, Nama/Damara, Oshiwambo and Otjiherero. The survey was carried out by a team led by Dr Shelene Gentz, a senior lecturer at the University of Namibia, and Professor Mónica Ruiz-Casares from McGill University in Canada.The Children’s World Survey Khomas Region – 2018 was launched virtually via Zoom on Monday, 1 March 2020.“This report can help with planning and decision-making to create the best space for children to thrive and learn,” Dr Gentz saidThe survey had eight main categories: money and possessions, home and family, local area, friends, school, subjective well-being, time use, children’s rights and perceptions about Namibia. The findings show that 88% of children in the Khomas Region live in homes that own a telephone and 89% of children have a television at home. A substantial number of learners, 34%, do not have electricity. Moreover, 32% of children do not have access to running water or enough food to eat every day. More than a third of children frequently worry about family money.The findings show that one in four children do not know or are unsure of what rights children have and three in four children do not know or are unsure about what the UNCRC is. The panellists at the launch agreed that the survey serves as a point of action and that it gives insight into how to go about educating children and making them aware of their rights under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).Professor Mónica Ruiz-Casares said what she found most fascinating about the survey’s findings, and this was unexpected, was that across all continents, satisfaction with relationships with classmates was ranked very low (or the lowest, such as in Namibia) compared to other areas in children's lives. Some of the gender differences in the report are also worth considering. “We are hoping that the next wave of the survey in a couple of years will include a representative sample of children in other regions too. We still need to secure funding but I really hope we can pull it off and get the perspectives of young people from outside of Khomas,” she said.

Let the children speak

Kommentaar

Republikein 2025-11-21

Meld asseblief aan om kommentaar te lewer

Let the children speak

Kommentaar

Republikein 2025-11-21

Meld asseblief aan om kommentaar te lewer

Intekening vereis om toegang tot inhoud te kry. ×

MELD AAN

Advertensie

Intekening vereis om toegang tot inhoud te kry.