{"id":67946,"date":"2022-11-19T03:02:22","date_gmt":"2022-11-19T03:02:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africannewspaper.net\/2022\/11\/19\/ohangwena-has-highest-pupil-teacher-ratio-the-namibian\/"},"modified":"2022-11-19T03:02:41","modified_gmt":"2022-11-19T03:02:41","slug":"ohangwena-has-highest-pupil-teacher-ratio-the-namibian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africannewspaper.net\/2022\/11\/19\/ohangwena-has-highest-pupil-teacher-ratio-the-namibian\/","title":{"rendered":"Ohangwena has highest pupil-teacher ratio – The Namibian"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
117 293 pupils are being educated by 4 311 teachers from the Ohangwena Region. This makes it the most crowded region for pupil-to-teacher ratio.<\/p>\n
This is according the UNICEF’s 15th School Day Report.<\/p>\n
The report states that the region has an average pupil-to-teacher ratio 27\/1. <\/p>\n
This skewed pupil to teacher ratio occurs at a time when many schools across the country are in the process or enrolling students for 2023.<\/p>\n
The \/\/Kharas region stands at 24\u00a0686 pupils and 942 teachers, with a pupil-to-teacher ratio of 26\/1. <\/p>\n
Raimo Dengeinge, deputy director at Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture, attributes the high pupil-teacher ratio in most urban areas to continued rural-urban migration.<\/p>\n
He claims that the ministry builds classrooms but that students move to cities years later, leading to a deficient pupil-to-teacher ratio.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople are flocking to urban areas,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
According to the 15th School Day Report, the current pupil-to teacher ratio is 26\/1.<\/p>\n
According to the report, there are 31 421 teachers in the country and 839 579 students.<\/p>\n
Paulus Nghikembua, Khomas education director, says they cannot disclose the status of school placements within the region since students are still taking exams. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe must wait for the results to actually know if we have a challenge or not,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n
Joseph Martin, Walvis Bay’s education circuit inspector, stated Wednesday that plans are still in place to accommodate all Grade 1 and 8 students for the 2023 academic school year.<\/p>\n
Currently, 440 Grade I pupils are still waiting to be placed in schools in the coastal town.<\/p>\n
Recently, the Walvis bay circuit office managed to reduce the number on waiting lists for Grade 8 students from 700 in July to just 444.<\/p>\n
Martin encouraged parents to be patient while the directorate works on the future.<\/p>\n
He said that this is the first time that so few Grade 8 students are waiting for placement.<\/p>\n
Many Namibians travel to the coast in search of work, while others are transferred to the coast.<\/p>\n
Schools are overcrowded.<\/p>\n
Parents were also urged to understand why their children could not be accommodated at the school they choose.<\/p>\n
Martin advised parents that they consider enrolling their children in schools located in other areas of the region. There is more space and accommodation for them.<\/p>\n
Erongo education director Erenfriede Stephanus stated this week that the final placement figures would be determined at a regional meeting next Thursday.<\/p>\n
The Zambezi regional education department has provisionally placed approximately 8 715 Grade 1 or Grade 8 students for the 2023 academic school year, despite overcrowding in schools in the region. <\/p>\n
Jost Kawana the regional education director revealed this Wednesday. <\/p>\n
He stated that enrolment continues its upward trend every academic year.<\/p>\n
He estimated that 4 289 Grade 1 students and 4 217 Grade 8, respectively, were placed in rural and urban schools in the region. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis has kept the available schools overcrowded, making the effectiveness of teaching and learning difficult. The region is using the platoon system for the junior primary phase to cater for a higher enrolment of pupils, given limited classroom space,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
He claims that the region is experiencing a shortage of classrooms, which is a concern because some schools are using tents to teach in harsh weather conditions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe region is trying by all means to create learning space by providing tents and other makeshift mechanisms to assist overcrowding in classrooms. <\/p>\n
\u201cAt the moment, the region’s pupil-to-teacher ratio at some schools stands at 60 pupils per teacher. <\/p>\n
\u201cIn attempts to reduce the pupil-to-teacher ratio, we make arrangements to transfer teachers procedurally to schools where overcrowding is experienced from schools with more teachers than pupils,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n