Browsing by Author "Nekongo-Nielsen, Haaveshe"

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    The educational consequences of teenage pregnancy in the Kavango Region
    (University of Namibia, 2013) Nekongo-Nielsen, Haaveshe; Mbukusa, Nchindo R.
    In this paper the authors discuss the pregnancy prevalence among learners in the Kavango region. The paper is an extract from a national study on dropout which collected data from three (3) regions, namely; Kavango, Kunene and Omaheke. While the dropout study was conducted in three regions with the highest dropout rate in the country, the findings on teenage pregnancy reported in this article are from the Kavango region only. The Kavango region, in addition to having higher dropout rates is also one of the regions with higher incidences of teenage pregnancy in the country. Through interviewing dropout learners and school principals as well as focus group discussions with teachers at 58 schools in the Kavango region the study found that a high number of female learners drop out of school due to pregnancy. Out of the one hundred and thirty one (131) learners interviewed, of which seventy two (72) were female, sixty (60) dropped out because of pregnancy, which means 83% of all female dropout cases was due to pregnancy. The dynamics and reasons why these learners became pregnant were as diverse as the schools visited. Based on the findings it is recommended that a good strategy for reducing pregnancy in the region requires the collaboration of community leaders, parents and school authorities.
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    Investigating factors that lead to school dropout in Namibia
    (University of Namibia, 2015) Nekongo-Nielsen, Haaveshe; Mbukusa, Nchindo R.; Tjiramba, Emmy; Beukes, Florida
    Although schools report a variety of reasons why learners leave school prematurely, these reasons do not reveal the underlying causes, especially multiple factors that influence learners’ attitudes, behaviours, and performance prior to dropping out. In order to understand the underlying causes behind learners’ decisions for dropping out, using a quantitative approach through document analysis this study first analysed the Education Management Information System (EMIS) reports for 2005 to 2009. The findings revealed that Kavango, Kunene and Omaheke regions were the regions with the highest dropout rates in the country. Using a qualitative approach, with a phenomenological design, the researchers interviewed school principals, school counsellors and teachers at randomly selected 20% of schools with the highest dropout rate for each region. This resulted into 58 schools in the Kavango region, 10 schools in the Kunene region and 5 schools in the Omaheke region. At the same schools, and using the snowball sampling procedure, the researchers selected and interviewed learners who have dropped out at some point during their schooling days but came back to school. The study found that, for all the learners interviewed, 50% of learners dropped out due to pregnancy, 20% dropped out due to economic factors, 15% due to system factors, 11% due to lack of parental involvement, and 4% due to cultural factors. On the basis of the findings a number of recommendations are made to mitigate the dropout phenomenon.
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    Investigating factors that lead to school dropout in Namibia
    (University of Namibia, 2015) Mbukusa, Nchindo R.; Tjiramba, Emmy; Beukes, Florida; Nekongo-Nielsen, Haaveshe
    Although schools report a variety of reasons why learners leave school prematurely, these reasons do not reveal the underlying causes, especially multiple factors that influence learners’ attitudes, behaviours, and performance prior to dropping out. In order to understand the underlying causes behind learners’ decisions for dropping out, using a quantitative approach through document analysis this study first analysed the Education Management Information System (EMIS) reports for 2005 to 2009. The findings revealed that Kavango, Kunene and Omaheke regions were the regions with the highest dropout rates in the country. Using a qualitative approach, with a phenomenological design, the researchers interviewed school principals, school counsellors and teachers at randomly selected 20% of schools with the highest dropout rate for each region. This resulted into 58 schools in the Kavango region, 10 schools in the Kunene region and 5 schools in the Omaheke region. At the same schools, and using the snowball sampling procedure, the researchers selected and interviewed learners who have dropped out at some point during their schooling days but came back to school. The study found that, for all the learners interviewed, 50% of learners dropped out due to pregnancy, 20% dropped out due to economic factors, 15% due to system factors, 11% due to lack of parental involvement, and 4% due to cultural factors. On the basis of the findings a number of recommendations are made to mitigate the dropout phenomenon. Keywords: dropout, teenage/learner pregnancy, child labour, parental involvement, childheaded households
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    Principals’ experiences in the implementation of the English language proficiency programme in Namibia
    (ELPP in Namibia, 2019) Nekongo-Nielsen, Haaveshe
    Purpose – Namibian principals are usually placed in leadership positions without orientation and are found to lack skills to supervise teachers in delivering instruction using the English language. Studies conducted elsewhere in the world found that effective school leadership is needed for the success of professional development programmes. The purpose of this paper is to explore principals’ lived experiences with regard to their roles in the implementation of the English Language Proficiency Programme (ELPP). Design/methodology/approach – This paper followed a qualitative inquiry with multiple case study designs to explore principals’ lived experiences during the implementation of the ELPP. Ten schools were selected for the analysis, two from each of the five regions. The schools were selected on the basis of remoteness, the total number of teachers who participated in the ELPP, school phases (i.e. primary and combined) and pre-test scores. Principals were interviewed using exploratory open-ended questions, and data analysis produced five categories under which the results were presented. Findings – The findings indicate that principals applied their individual logic to accommodate and implement the programme. They applied their individual productive leadership habitus to contextualise ELPP activities to ease their workload and appear corporative. Principals had significant influence on teacher learning and ensured successful implementation of a ministerial programme. Moreover, their leadership skills influenced the ways in which teachers received instruction and created a conducive learning environment. Owing to principals’ administrative, instructional and transformational leadership, many teachers participated and transcended upward and some were declared proficient in English. Research limitations/implications – This study research the effectiveness of leadership regarding English professional development programmes in achieving goals, explore power relations between school principals and education officials when developing and implementing professional development programmes and establish more efficient ways of providing a better leadership model for professional development programmes to achieve goals. Practical implications – This paper was limited to a few principals at rural schools in selected regions, therefore findings could not be generalised. Social implications – There is a need for creating opportunities for interactions among all stakeholders who are involved in the development and implementation of English proficiency programmes and to build power relations and work as a team to benefit schools. In order to enhance programme implementation and improve learning outcomes, there is also a need to provide feedback at intervals and find solutions to challenges as a team. Originality/value – Placing principals in situations without orientation triggered the need for specific leadership logic and particularities to be applied in a context for the success of the programme, which resulted in participation of more teachers in the ELPP. They applied their particularities and productive habitus through administrative, instructional and transformational leadership to enhance learning. Principals appointed English language teachers to instruct and mentor others, and consequently enabled some principals and teachers to exit the programme. Principals achieved these short wins upon realising that one has to cooperate with the authority to ensure achieving desired outcomes.
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    Principals’ experiences in the implementation of the English language proficiency programme in Namibia
    (2020) Nekongo-Nielsen, Haaveshe
    to lack skills to supervise teachers in delivering instruction using the English language. Studies conducted elsewhere in the world found that effective school leadership is needed for the success of professional development programmes. The purpose of this paper is to explore principals’ lived experiences with regard to their roles in the implementation of the English Language Proficiency Programme (ELPP). Design/methodology/approach – This paper followed a qualitative inquiry with multiple case study designs to explore principals’ lived experiences during the implementation of the ELPP. Ten schools were selected for the analysis, two from each of the five regions. The schools were selected on the basis of remoteness, the total number of teachers who participated in the ELPP, school phases (i.e. primary and combined) and pre-test scores. Principals were interviewed using exploratory open-ended questions, and data analysis produced five categories under which the results were presented. Findings – The findings indicate that principals applied their individual logic to accommodate and implement the programme. They applied their individual productive leadership habitus to contextualise ELPP activities to ease their workload and appear corporative. Principals had significant influence on teacher learning and ensured successful implementation of a ministerial programme. Moreover, their leadership skills influenced the ways in which teachers received instruction and created a conducive learning environment. Owing to principals’ administrative, instructional and transformational leadership, many teachers participated and transcended upward and some were declared proficient in English. Research limitations/implications – This study research the effectiveness of leadership regarding English professional development programmes in achieving goals, explore power relations between school principals and education officials when developing and implementing professional development programmes and establish more efficient ways of providing a better leadership model for professional development programmes to achieve goals. Practical implications – This paper was limited to a few principals at rural schools in selected regions, therefore findings could not be generalised. Social implications – There is a need for creating opportunities for interactions among all stakeholders who are involved in the development and implementation of English proficiency programmes and to build power relations and work as a team to benefit schools. In order to enhance programme implementation and improve learning outcomes, there is also a need to provide feedback at intervals and find solutions to challenges as a team. Originality/value – Placing principals in situations without orientation triggered the need for specific leadership logic and particularities to be applied in a context for the success of the programme, which resulted in participation of more teachers in the ELPP. They applied their particularities and productive habitus through administrative, instructional and transformational leadership to enhance learning. Principals appointed English language teachers to instruct and mentor others, and consequently enabled some principals and teachers to exit the programme. Principals achieved these short wins upon realising that one has to cooperate with the authority to ensure achieving desired outcomes.
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    Principals’ experiences in the implementation of the English language proficiency programme in Namibia
    (ELPP in Namibia, 2019) Nekongo-Nielsen, Haaveshe
    Purpose – Namibian principals are usually placed in leadership positions without orientation and are found to lack skills to supervise teachers in delivering instruction using the English language. Studies conducted elsewhere in the world found that effective school leadership is needed for the success of professional development programmes. The purpose of this paper is to explore principals’ lived experiences with regard to their roles in the implementation of the English Language Proficiency Programme (ELPP). Design/methodology/approach – This paper followed a qualitative inquiry with multiple case study designs to explore principals’ lived experiences during the implementation of the ELPP. Ten schools were selected for the analysis, two from each of the five regions. The schools were selected on the basis of remoteness, the total number of teachers who participated in the ELPP, school phases (i.e. primary and combined) and pre-test scores. Principals were interviewed using exploratory open-ended questions, and data analysis produced five categories under which the results were presented. Findings – The findings indicate that principals applied their individual logic to accommodate and implement the programme. They applied their individual productive leadership habitus to contextualise ELPP activities to ease their workload and appear corporative. Principals had significant influence on teacher learning and ensured successful implementation of a ministerial programme. Moreover, their leadership skills influenced the ways in which teachers received instruction and created a conducive learning environment. Owing to principals’ administrative, instructional and transformational leadership, many teachers participated and transcended upward and some were declared proficient in English. Research limitations/implications – This study research the effectiveness of leadership regarding English professional development programmes in achieving goals, explore power relations between school principals and education officials when developing and implementing professional development programmes and establish more efficient ways of providing a better leadership model for professional development programmes to achieve goals. Practical implications – This paper was limited to a few principals at rural schools in selected regions, therefore findings could not be generalised. Social implications – There is a need for creating opportunities for interactions among all stakeholders who are involved in the development and implementation of English proficiency programmes and to build power relations and work as a team to benefit schools. In order to enhance programme implementation and improve learning outcomes, there is also a need to provide feedback at intervals and find solutions to challenges as a team. Originality/value – Placing principals in situations without orientation triggered the need for specific leadership logic and particularities to be applied in a context for the success of the programme, which resulted in participation of more teachers in the ELPP. They applied their particularities and productive habitus through administrative, instructional and transformational leadership to enhance learning. Principals appointed English language teachers to instruct and mentor others, and consequently enabled some principals and teachers to exit the programme. Principals achieved these short wins upon realising that one has to cooperate with the authority to ensure achieving desired outcomes.
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    Teachers views on the implementation of the English language proficiency programme in Namibia
    (2017) Ngololo, Elizabeth Ndeukumwa; Nekongo-Nielsen, Haaveshe
    The study explores teachers’ views on the impact of the English Language Proficiency Programme in Namibian schools that was implemented over a period of five years, from 2011 to 2015. The program aimed at improving teachers’ proficiency in English. The summative evaluation was conducted in 2016 in the following five (5) regions: Erongo, Hardap, Khomas, Ohangwena and Omusati, selected on the basis of the level of participation and accessibility. The evaluation focused on the following aspects of the project: program development, program implementation and administration as well as assessment of learning outcomes. The study followed a qualitative approach using document analysis to inform the development of evaluation instruments and a phenomenological design to assess teachers’ lived experiences during program implementation. Data was collected through focus group discussions among teachers. The study established that teachers did not appreciate the program as it was ill-planned, irrelevant to their needs and disturbed their daily routines. Nevertheless, a few teachers embraced the program and reported positive benefits in terms of teachers’ career development goals. The study recommends the revision of the program in terms of content and implementation procedures. In addition, teachers’ support systems, learning materials and the mode of delivery need improvement to effectively enhance teaching and learning in Namibian schools.