No favours for unemployed teachers

MINISTER of education, arts and culture Anna Nghipondoka says the government will not bend the law to make it possible to recruit more than 1 600 unemployed graduate teachers in the country.

Nghipondoka said all teaching positions currently available under her ministry will be filled through established procedures and the recruitment policy framework only.

The minister made these remarks in the National Assembly yesterday when she clarified steps the government has taken to address the plight of unemployed graduate teachers.

Nghipondoka said the ministry in consultation with relevant stakeholders concluded an audit exercise on post-provisioning norms in schools to determine the real extent of overstaffing and understaffing in all 14 regions of the country.

This was meant to enable the ministry to have a qualified perspective on the way forward.

The audit was prompted by various petitions of the graduates in question to the ministry demanding employment in April and July this year.

After the audit, Nghipondoka said the ministry was directed by the Cabinet to put measures in place and implement strategies to contain the size of the wage bill and to trim the size of the ministry, which include the suspension of the creation of new positions, “be it permanent or temporary employment, and the filling of vacant budgeted positions”.

Several recommendations were made after this audit, including the option to explore placing unemployed teachers as opposed to the approved recruitment process of vacant entry teaching posts.

This was done in consultation with the Public Service Commission.

Nghipondoka, however, said the ministry could not do registered unemployed graduate teachers any favours as the ministry was currently faced with numerous challenges – among them an inadequate budget.

She said the about 77% or N$10,8 billion of the ministry’s budget currently already goes towards the defrayal of personnel expenditure.

This leaves the ministry with insufficient funding to cater for other operational activities.

“The outcome of the recently completed audit on post-provisioning norms at schools clearly indicates that the ministry is overstaffed with teachers and understaffed with HODs [heads of departments] and principals,” she said.

There is an oversupply of junior primary teachers in some mediums of instruction, while others are undersupplied.

However, most graduate teachers are unemployed because they prefer urban schools “and do not apply for schools in rural areas even if vacancies are advertised”.

She said some graduate teachers want to be placed as opposed to going through normal interview processes.

“After appointment, some applicants decline the offer due to the remoteness of some schools,” she said.

Nghipondoka therefore said the ministry will only address this issue in line with Article 18 of the Namibian Constitution to give all citizens fair and equal opportunities.

“The appointments in the public service are dealt with in line with the provisions of the Public Service Act, 1995 (Act No. 13 of 1995) and the Public Service Staff Rules [which require for recruitment by advertising vacant positions and interviewing, selection and placement],” she said, adding that that is how employment will be handled unless the laws are amended.

“Unemployed teacher graduates are encouraged to apply once vacancies are advertised – especially in rural areas – and accept the offers once appointed,” she said.

However, as a means to try and remedy the situation, Nghipondoka said, the ministry resolved to employ about 60% of the over 1 600 unemployed graduate teachers to invigilate during this year’s national examinations.