Education for all! a reform or a critical challenge

Table of content

Introduction…………………………………………………..
Educational Reforms……………………………………….
Education for all………………………………………..…….
Curriculum Content………………………….……………..
Medium of Instruction……………………………………
Access to Education………………………………………..
Quality of Education……………………………………….
Democratic Education…………………………………….
Equitable Education………………………………………..
Teaching approaches and classroom practice…
Expenditure in Education ……………………………….
Issue relating to HIV/AIDS and Social Spatial….
Conclusion …………………………………………………….
References …………………………………………………….

Introduction
Education is the pedigree and foundation that bonds every nation; it’s the key and an open way to a victorious accomplishment. Devoid of education Namibia will not bear a conducive citizen and at the current level of education in Namibia, Namibia is not competent of achieving a knowledge based economy as projected in “VISION2030”. Although the government had embarked up different reforms to improve the quality of education, most of the barriers were certain to happen to the
Education sectors. The primary goals for these reforms were identified as access, equity, quality, and democracy in education.
When Namibia emerged as an independent nation in 1990, educational reform priority was emphasized by the Hon. President Dr. Sam Nujoma as a priority. The only way we can redress the apartheid legacy is by a massive education and training program for our people (MEC, 1993a: ii). The Ministry of Education and Culture was faced with a daunting task as Angula & Grant Lewis (1997) describe: The undoing of apartheid requires changing the purpose of schooling from that of selection and the education of an elite to that of education for all. It involves replacing the philosophy and practices of education in the past with a new philosophy and practices appropriate to educating all citizens, a rethinking of ‘what we do in schools and how we do it.
The Namibian educational reform is guided first and foremost by the policy statements in “Toward Education for All” (MEC, 1993a).
According to Pomuti, H. N (2000) the previous educational system in
Namibia was about educating elite in a positivistic system that was based on apartheid and racism.
The new educational system, as described by “Toward Education for
All”, is built on Learner-Centered Education and is aimed at harnessing curiosity and excitement, and promotes democracy and responsibility in lifelong learning. The stated intents of this system are to employ a holistic view of learning, valuing life experiences and to assist learners in integrating school and life outside school.
The document identifies learning as an active process with participation from the learners in developing, organizing, implementing and managing learning (MEC, 1993a).
The Namibian educational reform was and is, according to the above statements, both a change of curriculum development processes as well as products, but more than that, a transition from one system of education to another (MEC, 1993a).
Changing from one system to another is not an easy task and reform and change are not necessarily synonymous.
Educational Reforms
Bernstein B (1971:4) states that, during the colonial time in Namibia education was exemplified by inequality, inequity, inaccessibility, and undemocratic. In addition to that, After Namibia gained its independence in 1990 former minister of education Mr. Nahas Angula and founding president Dr Sam Nujoma drafted a proposal for educational reforms and renewal framework, which premeditated at the enlightenment of quality, democratic, Impartial and accessibility of education to every individual, However Educational reform was also needed to
Embark-up the curriculum content, Medium of Instruction, Classroom practices and Assessment Evaluation said Swarts, p. (ed) (2000).
Education in Namibia was once a privilege to minority and now it’s a basic right for every Namibians. Apart from that, the Namibian education sectors established a Program (Education and training sectors Improvement programmer) that aimed at enhancing the sector’s contribution to the attainment of strategic National development goals and facilitate the transition to a knowledge based economy as projected in “VISION 2030” says the ETSIP Windhoek Government press
(2007).
Furthermore, since 20 years of an independent Namibia and reforms proposal, yet education in Namibia is still struggling to improve the equality, accessibility, democratic and equitability of education regardless of the government/minister’s commitments to reforms sectors and renewal framework. in spite of all the challenges facing the education sectors such as high rates of unemployment among youth, low economic growth, low GDP per capita, poor Education science and technology, Inaccessibility to resource center (Libraries), Inadequate teaching aid and conducive classical environment (learning and teaching materials, well equipped laboratories and computer room with qualified teachers), insignificant population intensification, high rank of Hiv and AIDS infections. Popkewitz H (1988) argues that in order to reform and change, we must question our underlying assumptions about society, culture, history, economics, and politics.
Failure to do so will result at best in only window-dressing arguded
Popkewitz H. At worst rhetoric and rituals around reform, without questioning our underlying assumptions, serve to perpetuate our general myths of schooling as the major institution by which to improve society and the illusion we hold about reform as a way of progressing. Schools as the major institutions by which to improve society are viewed as a myth, because although the school at certain periods in history can help produce conditions that have the potential for social transformation, they at the same time serve to reproduce existing relations in society. They do this partly by the selection, organization, and evaluation of knowledge, which gives value only to certain types of knowledge. Knowledge taught in schools is always bound to interests in society, mostly interests of power, and society does not provide all people with the same access to knowledge or power. As such discourse on reform may function to legitimate the ongoing power relations of schools in a manner that makes those relations seem to benefit all rather than a few (Popkewitz, 1988).
Our attempts to reform and our conversations about reform exist in a horizon that contains structured boundaries and without paying attention to these social, cultural and political horizons, we make the immediate and transitory a substitute for long-term change and systemic concerns (Popkewitz, 1988).
While Namibian reform policy, as found in EFA, may be seen as
“questioning our underlying assumptions and beliefs” about school and society, can the same be said about the enabling framework, as found in the Broad Curriculum? IV infection among youth, Educators and the community at large, and crucially the lack of skilled understanding about the Imperative of quality and equitable education among parents and community, With all the above major threat toward our education sectors, Education in Namibia will persevere with sarcastic destitute to our individuals and our Vision.
Education For all
The ministry of Education Sport and culture (MEC 1993) anticipated a new system in Basic Education that was projected to make education as a basic fundamentals human right for everyone and that basic education should be provided free of charge, however up to date report reveal that, basic education is still not free and most of the school are being paid for, however many learners are expelled from school most with regard to school development funds issues, although it is clearly stated by the ministry of Education that basic education shall be provided free of charge regardless of status and however most of the school don’t obey to these regulation and this are some of the constrain that are affecting our Vision of achieving acknowledged based citizens.
The ministry of education sport and culture (MEC 2001) twisted a national plan for action 2001-2015 (EFA) education for all that; intend to make education for everyone and to produce a hard working populace, and effective communication cooperation, because prior to independence only few children went to school (particularly boys) this is also stipulated in the Namibian constitution that all person shall be educated with compulsory primary education and state should provide reasonably facilities to school said the Namibian constitution Article
20. Though all this has been put in place to improve the educational goals not all the educators fulfill all these commitment because most teachers use to privatizes school and make it their property they expel learners from school with unjustifiable reasoning they also make student to pay lot money as an expense for SDFs; with all these challenges threatening the education system Namibia will not be capable of producing a competent citizens.

Curriculum of content
The office of the President (2004), after Namibia gained its independence in 1990 the president had reviewed the curriculum content of education in Namibia and adopted new strategies in the education systems such as 12 years in school, the JCS and IGCE or the
NSSC examination and the BETD. However even if the government had assessed those reforms learners still continue to fail. Majority of the school going population had dropout school without sitting for the national examination that was inspected and the small school going populace that manage to sit for the two national exams they can either be pronounced successful or unsuccessful. This also tells us that 20 years after independence the government had purely failed to enforce and strengthen its strategies. Nonetheless, the government knew that failure was unpredictable and unpreventable, but it can be minimize however, to the present situation failure in Namibia is at extreme turning point and Good number of the learners are kicked out of school due to failure had. The government had employed the BETD Qualification but it was unsuccessful because people were underpaid hence most people flee from this career choice and participated poorly in this regard says the ministry of higher education.
Medium of instruction
Language of Instruction: The government of the republic of Namibia
(GRN2000) legitimately documented, 13 languages in an independent
Namibia belong from which most of them belong to similar language families, they are distinct from one another, and retaining their use is the object of much work in the education department. The main languages are 10 national languages of African origin, spoken by the major ethnic groups, along with three languages of European origin
(English, Afrikaans, and German). The indigenous languages of African origin are spoken by an overwhelming majority of Namibians, many of whom can communicate in at least two indigenous tongues as well as
English or Afrikaans. In primary schools, the national languages are used from grades one to three, and English is the language of instruction beyond grade seven. The Namibian education system guaranteed to encourages schools to offer at least two languages as subjects and to organize extracurricular language activities. Private schools are permitted to use any language throughout the primary cycle. This was another uncontrollably and avoidable reforms because currently learners are budging from place to place in search of better education and these different places offer diverse degree of language instruction hence some learners end up only on doing one language instead of two that was projected and documented by the government of
Namibia. This was also is also an inevitable reform because the government anticipated that English should be offered in each and every school as a compulsory or official subject and any learners who obtain a F downward should be pronounced legitimately Failed, most of the learners where the victims of this and suffer a great deals of failure because good numbers of them arise from background an unrecognized language. With these instructions from the rep of Namibia failure arose in Namibia and learner, and entire schools were forced to regulate them, it has been really tough for most school to avoid this. Access to Education
Swart P& Beukes.D.M (1998:3) affirmed that, the government should impart basic Education and expand the capacity to increase the number of school and also act on eradicating barriers that keep children out of school, yet most of the areas in Namibia still experience inaccessibility toward education especially in pastoral areas because there are lacks of school and mobile interior for educational conduct, conversely as stipulated by, Swart P et al (1998.14) that most school and learners in Namibia still experience inequality toward the accessibility of educational pertinenality. Some of the inevitable factors that contribute to inaccessibility of education in Namibia are deficient of materiality catering for basic needs says for instance
Financial problem, regardless of all, most of the Namibian people are unemployed and underemployed yet many school and institution of higher learning are very classy, exclusive and high-priced that not even an underemployed citizen can afford it, However Swart P et al (1998:16) furthered that nearly all the Namibian individuals are uninformed and unaware of the actuality, that lead to a good number of them being illiterates and wrap up in boulevard bugging for necessity to maintain life, He fostered that most of the educators are lacking inspiration spirits instead of stimulating their modelers they deject and restrain them, hence accessibility will still remain a certainty.
Economic and political conditions often make getting an education impossible for children around the world - and especially for girls.
Families may require their sons and daughters to work so that they have enough money to survive or even sell their children for labor, sex, or adoption because money is too tight. In other cases, obligatory school fees may prove prohibitive. Discrimination, attacks on secular schools, displacement as a result of war or persecution, and other conditions are often to blame

Quality of Education
At independence in March 1990, a new teaching and learning paradigm was developed aimed at dismantling the previous regime's policy of segregation and inequality of access and that would reflect the new government's priorities of equity, access, quality, and democracy in education. The National Institution for Education and Development
(NIED), one of the branches of the Ministry of Education, Culture,
Youth, and Sport, was entrusted with the task of reforming and developing the curriculum quality, integrating the national language policy with English as the official literacy and numeracy skills and a basic understanding of Quality educational phenomena within a few years. The quality of Education in Namibia will remains intolerants for many decades simple because educators has lacks efforts to impure and magnify in education,.

Equitable Education
Pomuti, H. N (2000) argued that ,One of the utmost hurdles in
Achieving equity in the Namibian education systems is the inequitable distribution of natural resources to different region. This is a pre-independence legacy which will take a long time to rectify. During the implementation of NDP1 efforts were made to equalize the distribution of educational expenditure per learners across the regions. Pomuti, H. N (2000) also added that school are also not equally distributed with resources and most school lack essential teaching materiality, this was an inevitable factors that was certain to happen at the first sight because with the increasing in number of school and the low GDP per capita the it was nearly estimated that the government will run out of budget to control equality in distribution of resources among its school added Franklin B (1998). Few school in
Namibia are using high technology approaches to teachings while majority of them are using primary approaches to teachings. With these state of in equilibrium education in Namibia will remain inequitable worse of incompetents.

Teaching approaches, classroom practice and Expenditures in Education

The teaching of science and mathematics has been a challenge since independence in 1990. This has been mainly due to the neglect by the previous regime which excluded the majority of black Namibia from the teaching of these subjects. as described earlier by Pomuti, H.N That school are not equally distributed with resources its is a facts because many school in Namibia to my own experiences do not have computer laboratories and most school are also lacking teaching equipment such text book and classical environment. poor provision of these necessities will results in higher Failure the government of
Namibia is claiming to improve all these in equilibrium situation but up to now nothing has been done. Number of school are just increasing with less efforts implemented by the government toward Education that will results into an unsuccessful vision of the Namibian education sectors.

Issue relating to HIV/AIDS and Social Spatial

The population growth has been affected by the increasing HIV and AIDS
Infections, which has led to many deaths particularly among the young productive age group. This has resulted in Numbers of children becoming orphans. To date HIV and AIDS is now the utmost burdens to the education sectors. In addition, the number of education sectors workers, including teachers, who are the lost due to HIV and AIDS is creating an additional staffing challenges for the whole sectors.
There are still barriers that exeunt with regards to the education of the children with specials needs, orphans and vulnerable children. An influx of refugees in Namibia has resulted in a growing number of refugee children. The government is faced with challenged of providing quality education to these children and adults since they have the fundamentals right just like any other dwellers

Conclusion

To conclude with,the Namibian reform has, like so many others, turned out to be an evolution of that which was, rather than a revolution.
One could argue that the Namibian education reform have not only not redressed the past, but have in fact, through advancing an objectives model of curriculum perpetuated the status quo by adhering to and advancing a view of education which incorporates social and economic myths about individualism into institutional and systemic theories of success and social mobility. In other words while reform policy as formulated after Independence advocates the need for systemic changes to the educational sector, the Namibian Broad Curriculum rests on a philosophical foundation which supports and advances the previous educational systems

References list
1.Bernstein B (1971:4). on the classification and training of educational Knowledge. In: M Young Ed (ed) knowledge and controls, new
York: Collier Namibia
2.Franklin B(1993) how to make curriculum
3.Government of Education of Republic of Namibia (GRN 2000).
Education for all=year assessment
4.Government of Republic of Namibia (GRN 1990) constitution of the
Republic of Namibia
5.Ministry of of Education and culture (MCE 1993): toward Education for all: A development Brief for Education, Culture and Training.
Windhoek: Gamsberg Macmillan
6.Ministry of Of basic Education, Sport and Culture (2001). Education for all (EFA) National Plan of action (2001-2015)
7.Office of the President (2004). Namibia Vision 203. policy Framework For long Term National development
8.Pomuti,H N (2000) The impact of practice based-inquiry on in-services teacher education models on teachers understanding and classroom practices.
9.Popkewitz (1988. Educational development action
10.Swats, P. (ed) (2000). working together toward Education Reforms: a critically Self Evaluation Of teachers Educational development and
Support in Namibia
11. Swatrs P. (1998). The transformation of teachers education in Namibia: