Nawa 48

March 5 2007

Focus On Education: USG Support Making a Real Difference for Namibian Students, Teachers and Parents

As of 2006, the United States government (USG), through USAID, has provided approximately $55 million to support education in Namibia. The primary focus of activities is the USAID/NAMIBIA Basic Education Support program. It is concentrated in six northern regions and centers on improving the quality of primary-level teaching in science, math and English; mitigating the impact of HIV/AIDS on the education sector, including support to orphans and vulnerable children (OVC); and improving the effectiveness of the country’s education management system. USAID/NAMIBIA also supports girls’ education, rural schools and teacher training through the Ambassadors Girls Scholarship Program, HERO (Help At Risk Orphans and Vulnerable Children) and IFESH (International Foundation for Education and Self Help).

Although there is still much left to be achieved, this USG program, in cooperation with committed partners and dedicated Namibians, has produced some key results. These include: improved methods to measure and enhance student and teacher performance -- some of these tools have been adopted and will be sustained by the Ministry of Education; a substantial increase in Grade 4 baseline math and science scores in the target regions; distribution of small grants totaling approximately $429,000 that support 12,951 primary school OVC; development of tools to identify and track enrollment of OVC - the retention rate for supported students after the first round of grants was 100%; establishment of 39 school and community-based support programs for OVC, with an additional 87 in place by May 2007; and creation of Namibian content HIV/AIDS and life skills reading books written by teachers.

The following stories provide a sample of the real-life impact the USG support has had on Namibian students, teachers and their larger communities.

OVC Support: New Uniforms at Sauyemwa Primary School

Before the tailoring project started at the Sauyemwa Primary School, almost none of the 688 identified orphans who attended the school had uniforms. Often OVC don’t attend school regularly because they don’t have a uniform. To alleviate this serious problem, Principal Joseph Shininge, a few teachers, and members of the School Board wrote a successful proposal to the USAID-supported orphans and vulnerable children small grant program to seek funding for a tailoring project. They used the funds to purchase sewing machines and the fabric to make school uniforms. They also hired a local tailor to train community members who would then volunteer their services. The first goal was to provide uniforms to children in need. The second was to bring funds back into the school program by selling uniforms.

Work commenced in February of 2006 and only two months later, their first goal was accomplished. All 688 OVC in the school had received uniforms! They have also achieved their second goal. Five parents trained by the volunteer tailor are making uniforms for nearby schools at a price that parents can afford. The funds from the uniform sales are used to buy necessary supplies for the OVC, as well as offset their school fees. Earnings also go into a fund to pay for much-needed textbooks and substitute teachers.

The initial USG support, through the dedicated and creative efforts of the Sauyema community, has produced a cascade of positive results. As one parent volunteer said, “This small project is proving to be a big success, and we are very proud of our accomplishment.”

Teacher Training: Young Scientists in Namibia

It takes more than enthusiasm and good intentions to create scientists, but those two characteristics are a good place to start. Ms. Maria Eises, a Teacher Training Coordinator in the Kavango Education Region, was very motivated and excited about the idea of local science fairs. With USAID funding, she worked with the team of Ministry of Education Resource Teachers to generate enthusiasm about the teaching of mathematics and science by providing a series of workshops on how to conduct local science fairs in schools.

Teachers like Mr. Michael Kudumo in Shambyu Circuit participated in the training and then reported, “I used to struggle to prepare math and science fair activities, but today I am very proud because I’ve learned how to assist both teachers and learners in our circuit.” Similarly, Mr. Egidius Siteketa, the Science Resource Teacher for the Region, said, “I feel so confident about training teachers now. I am so proud to see changes in the classrooms of the teachers who came to our workshops on math and science.” Another Resource Teacher, Mrs. Bibiana Seponde added, “I was surprised and happy to see that the teachers implemented the ideas from the workshop, especially using teaching aids from the Math Box workshop, a training session funded by USAID.”

A personal measure of the outcomes of these training activities for teachers is the pride on the faces of young scientists from the Region who went all the way from their local science fairs to the First Expo Sciences Africa, an international competition of schools from throughout the southern Africa region held in Windhoek in August 2006. Sylvia and Elias, sixth and seventh grade learners, won bronze medals in the international competition for their project on the use of plants in malaria control.

Although her project on the ph values of local soils wasn’t a medal winner, for Victoria, a tenth grader, the opportunity to meet and interact with other young scientists was a memorable and very important occasion in her education.

Enthusiasm for experimentation was certainly evident in Shekupakela’s explanation of his project using locally available materials to design and test a desalinization machine. He was motivated by the fact that the local source of drinking water at his rural school is too salty.

At Mpungu Primary School in the Kavango region one can see firsthand the positive impact of the USAID-funded School Improvement Program initiatives. Parents and teachers from Mpungu participated in School Self-assessment workshops where parents and teachers work together to assess school quality and then use the results to create their own School Development Plan. The plan maps out steps to improve materials, infrastructure and instruction. Often this process leads to parent involvement in areas such as classroom assistance during lessons about the local environment, crops, animals, etc., and about cultural practices.

Such is the case at Mpunga Primary School. During a recent visit from a Basic Education Support team member, Principal Kalipa said, “Since our parents attended the Basic Education Support Project workshops they understand what it means to be involved in their children’s education. For example, they voluntarily replaced the broken window panes and fenced our school using small sticks.”

He gave other examples of the parent’s interest and involvement. “They now come to school and check their children’s performance. Although most of the parents in this school do not work, they are communal crop or stock farmers so they can bring chicken, mahangu and maize to school to sell teachers and so contribute to the school development fund, especially during harvesting time. Parents attend Quiz Competitions and Science Fairs to motivate their children in Mathematics and Science. This is a challenge for the teachers, as they know that parents will question them according the learner’s performance.”

At Mpungu Primary School, “Why should our parents be involved in our Education?” is a question of the past.

Maria Eises moves around the room. She stops at each table to encourage, direct and help. She is training the committed teachers who have come together to learn new skills at this USAID-funded “Writing by Kids” workshop.

In Namibia, one textbook is generally used by 3-5 students. This writing project supplements Namibia’s text book shortage by supporting teachers, young readers and art students in the development and publication of story books for primary school learners. These books combine reading instruction with important life lessons drawn from their Namibian communities.

Phase one of the project focused on teachers writing for kids and six new titles were produced with the drafting and editing help of Pollination Publishers, a local business. Standard Bank of Namibia picked up the cost of printing 5000 copies of one of the books. This next phase focuses on kids writing for kids and will also build on the project’s public-private partnership. The Director of Shell Namibia has agreed to provide financial support for photography, publishing and editing.

Maria is just one example of the committed Namibians who are making the Basic Education program a success. After many years of service to primary education as a teacher and principal in the Namibian school system, Maria joined USAID’s Basic Education Support team. As a result of her participation in the program, she has expanded her teacher trainer and coaching skills and used those skills to benefit the quality of education in Namibia.

In addition to training her colleagues, Maria has also helped to edit the “Writing for Kids’” books.  “Now we are excited to help the teachers hear the voices of our learners. This workshop is giving us the skills to assist the teacher to help the learners write their own journals. Through their entries, we’ll get to know the youth’s views on important Namibian topics such as HIV/AIDS, education, poverty and other issues. One day soon, these stories will also be heard in the classrooms.”