Namibia to recruit Zim teachers

Thupeyo Muleya in WINDHOEK, Namibia
The Namibian government has approved a plan to recruit over 2 000 teachers from SADC countries mainly Zimbabwe, Botswana, Kenya, South Africa and Zambia to boost their education system. In a statement yesterday, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Information & Communication Technologies, Mr Mbeuta Ua-Ndjarakana said they needed to employ teachers in the fields of Mathematics, English, Social and Natural Sciences, Setswana.

They also needed to beef up learning support for pupils with learning difficulties.
He said their teachers’ bulletin vacancy list for 2014 stood at 2 227 across all regions and all grade levels in that country.

“This is an indication that the Ministry of Education is in dire need of teachers.
“The short supply of teachers is due to changes in ministerial policies and programmes such as the implementation of the universal primary education which resulted in an increased learner enrolment; piloting of inclusive Education, introduction of compulsory Mathematics in grades 11 and 12, allocation of full-time Life Skills teachers and School Librarians as well as review of teacher-learner ratio,” he said.

Mr Ndjarakana said his government would use the 2013 teacher vacancy list in filling up the relevant posts next year.
He said they were already engaged in bilateral discussions with authorities from the five identified countries on possible recruitment between the 2014 and 2015 academic years.

“The ministry of Education would like to emphasise that the arrangement to recruit surplus teachers from SADC countries is in line with SADC Protocol on Education and Training and the AU Protocol on Education that allow countries to share resources including human capital.

“These countries were identified for their exceptional human capital development from which Namibia can tap on their expertise,” he said.

Namibia’s literacy rate stands at around 89 percent according to a the 2011 Population and Housing Census Basic Report .
The report also revealed that there was a marked decrease of 17 percent in the education of people from the age of 15 years and above who were at school between 2001 and 2011.