‘Untraceable’ learners to repeat grades
Out of 804 079 learners enrolled in schools countrywide last year, 15 350 learners will have to repeat the grade after they failed to report back to school last year.
Ester Kamati
Otjiwarongo
Learners who are still unaccounted for since last year’s fist lockdown will have to repeat their grades, education ministry executive director Sanet Steenkamp has confirmed.
The number, which was previously estimated at 30 000, was confirmed to be 15 350 learners who could not be traced by their schools and therefore could not be graded for the year.
“These learners will have to repeat because they never handed in any assignment and they did not sit for any test series, thus their competencies, skills and knowledge could not be tested and therefore when they do return to school, they will have to repeat,” Steenkamp said.
According to her, teachers made an effort to get in touch with the parents of these learners.
“We also had radio advocacy campaigns to inform because these kids are mostly in the villages or on farms and did not return to school.”
The ministry has also tried through school management to get the learners back to school.
Investments have been made with Namcol and Notesmaster for the syllabi, curriculum and all teacher lessons and activities for grade 8 to grade 11 to be developed. This project is expected to be launched by the minister in April this year.
“That is where learners and teachers can access Notesmaster for teaching and learning materials. In terms of online teaching, what we have offered was basically a mode of teaching and not necessarily a structured, formal online programme as designed, for example, without schooling programme where we also do learner tracing as well as assign learners with specific identification numbers as well as formative assessment.”
This project is expected to materialise with the assistance of a technical committee along with the National Institute for Educational Development (NIED).
[email protected]
Otjiwarongo
Learners who are still unaccounted for since last year’s fist lockdown will have to repeat their grades, education ministry executive director Sanet Steenkamp has confirmed.
The number, which was previously estimated at 30 000, was confirmed to be 15 350 learners who could not be traced by their schools and therefore could not be graded for the year.
“These learners will have to repeat because they never handed in any assignment and they did not sit for any test series, thus their competencies, skills and knowledge could not be tested and therefore when they do return to school, they will have to repeat,” Steenkamp said.
According to her, teachers made an effort to get in touch with the parents of these learners.
“We also had radio advocacy campaigns to inform because these kids are mostly in the villages or on farms and did not return to school.”
The ministry has also tried through school management to get the learners back to school.
Investments have been made with Namcol and Notesmaster for the syllabi, curriculum and all teacher lessons and activities for grade 8 to grade 11 to be developed. This project is expected to be launched by the minister in April this year.
“That is where learners and teachers can access Notesmaster for teaching and learning materials. In terms of online teaching, what we have offered was basically a mode of teaching and not necessarily a structured, formal online programme as designed, for example, without schooling programme where we also do learner tracing as well as assign learners with specific identification numbers as well as formative assessment.”
This project is expected to materialise with the assistance of a technical committee along with the National Institute for Educational Development (NIED).
[email protected]
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