Beating the odds – Namcol pupils who excel

• LINEA DISHENAVERY often, people refer to the Namibian College of Open Learning (Namcol) as a ‘graveyard’ for education, but some pupils who beat the odds and succeeded have a different perspective than that of the public.

Nampa caught up with six Namcol learners at a prize-giving ceremony on 23 February. All professed to be hardworking and focused to obtain the results they did. Four of the former pupils are today pursuing various fields of study at the University of Namibia (Unam), Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) and the International University of Management (IUM). One is still eking out a living from a casual job, as she submitted her application to a tertiary institution late, and could not be enrolled this year.

Twenty-year-old Letisia Kafugula, who comes from the Oshana region, is a first-year student at Unam, where she is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in education for upper-primary school.

Kafugula matriculated in 2014 at the Oshikoto Secondary School with 23 points in five subjects, two points shy of qualifying for university enrolment. In 2015, she enrolled at Namcol to improve two subjects – history and English.

“When I enrolled at Namcol, I felt like a failure because that is what most people think of a person who comes to Namcol. But throughout the year, I realised it was actually a great opportunity for me,” said Kafugula.

Studying at Namcol, she says, requires dedication and hard work. She obtained B-symbols in both subjects. Despite this achievement, she felt her points were not enough, and so she registered at Namcol for geography and development studies. She obtained a B-symbol in development studies and D-symbol in geography. This gave her the 30 points she needed to realise her dream of becoming a teacher.

Bertin Tshaka hails from the Zambezi region, where he completed his matric at the Katima Combined School in 2013 with 21 points, but with an E-symbol in English. Immediately after matric, he got a job, which delayed the realisation that he needed to improve his grades to obtain enough university points.

In 2015, he realised that education is the key to everything in the world of today, which prompted him to enrol at Namcol.

“I realised having a qualification is better than anything else, hence I considered Namcol to improve my points and apply for tertiary education one day,” explained Tshaka. At Namcol, he obtained a B-symbol in English, which gave him the 27 points he needed to enrol for a bachelor of education at IUM.

Berline Harlons (26) from the Omaheke region matriculated in 2009 with 22 points. She enrolled at a university in South Africa to do a certificate in travel and tourism. Upon completion, she went job-hunting before relaunching her academic pursuit.

“Last year, I decided to improve my results, and this was worth it. I decided to improve my English in 2015.”

Harlons obtained a C-symbol in English, and in the 2016 examination she improved that to a B-symbol. She is now enrolled at a vocational training centre, and is pursuing studies in office administration.

“I wanted to venture in a different direction from the field which I already started because you are never too old to study,” she said.

Mwatalavi Hengari (20) is now a bachelor of science student at NUST, majoring in chemistry and physics. She matriculated in 2015 at the Academia Secondary School with 37 points.

Although science was her field of interest, she did not qualify to enrol at varsity because she had obtained an E symbol in biology and mathematics.

“Namcol is not a bad place because it is not about where you are studying, it is about who you are and what you want in life. It is about how committed you are to your books, because even if the teacher is the best in the country and you are not putting in effort, you would not pass,” noted Hengari.

Mischa Gowases (28) hails from the Hardap region. She matriculated in 2006 with 24 points, and got employment as a casual worker.

In 2016, she improved her English to a B-symbol, and business studies to a D-symbol.

Gowases, who says her greatest motivation is her daughter, spoke about her plan to study for a bachelor of education next year. She hopes to give her daughter the best she can, “because she did not ask to come into this world”. Gowases, an orphan, is passionate about this.

“In life, if you fail the first time, you are not a failure. You are only a failure when you stop trying at all,” she said.

Jeanine Hoabes, an 18-year-old from the Erongo region, failed Grade 10 in 2015 when she obtained 21 points.

She enrolled at Namcol in 2016 to improve her points after seeing her friends improve their subjects at Namcol and qualify for Grade 11.

Hoabes is now a Grade 11 pupil at S I Gobs Senior Secondary School after getting 29 points.

“I will study hard in Grades 11 and 12 because I know the feeling of failing,” she added.

Junior David (22) from the Oshana region is a first-year student at Unam, pursuing a bachelor of accounting degree. He completed Grade 12 in 2015 with 22 points at the Gabriel Taapopi Secondary School.

In 2016, he enrolled at Namcol for biology and physical science, and obtained A-symbols in both subjects.

“When I was in Grade 12, I played a lot and did not concentrate on my schoolwork, a folly I only realised too late. I felt the pain only after failing, which will not happen again in my years of study,” said David.

Namcol was established in 1994 with the aim to get at least a 50% pass rate, and to contribute to the development of competent and highly skilled productive citizens; something some critics say they have failed to achieve.

Namcol director Heroldt Murangi said during a media briefing held on 19 January that the poor performance of Grade 12 pupils in the 2016 national examinations is due to their failure to show up for examinations.