Abstract:
This study explored the aspect of the implementation of the Namibia Novice Teachers’ Induction Programme by tapping on novice teachers’ experiences and mentor teachers’ perceptions at selected primary schools in the Omaheke Region. Challenges faced by novice teachers in their first year of teaching were explored, intending to establish whether the programme in place is beneficial to novice teachers and to contribute insights to the improvement in the implementation of the Namibia Novice Teachers’ Induction Programme in schools. The research questions addressed in the study were; what are novice teachers’ experiences with the implementation of the induction programme at selected primary schools in Omaheke region?, what are mentor teachers’ perceptions on the implementation of the induction programme at selected primary schools in Omaheke region?, what challenges do novice teachers face in their first year of teaching at primary schools in Omaheke region?, what are the benefits of an induction programme for novice teachers from the novice and mentor teachers’ perspective?, and what strategies can be applied to strengthen the implementation of the induction programme at selected primary schools in Omaheke region? A qualitative research approach using a case study design was employed, whereby the researcher used interview guides to collect the data from the novice teachers and mentor teachers. The target population for this study consisted of all the novice teachers and their mentor teachers from 13 primary schools in Circuit One of the Omaheke Region in Namibia. A criterion sampling technique was used to select nine (9) novice teachers and two (2) mentor teachers who participated in this study. ii Thematic analysis was used to identify patterns and themes within qualitative data collected from the participants. The findings of the study revealed that the NNTIP is not entirely being implemented and there are challenges related to the implementation of the Namibia Novice Teachers’ Induction Programme at primary schools in the Omaheke Region. The study further revealed that novice teachers experienced key challenges, namely, lack of resources, overcrowded classrooms, language barriers and classroom management issues. To overcome the challenges, the participants revealed the benefits of an induction programme and the following strategies were proposed to strengthen the implementation of NNTIP; regional offices of the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture, in collaboration with individual circuits, cluster centre sand schools to develop an annual induction and mentoring plan appropriate for their novice teachers’ needs. The school principals need to ensure that the mentor teachers and novice teachers are not overloaded with subjects to make sure that they have enough time to participate in induction activities. In addition, the study proposed that all the institutions offering teachers’ training need to integrate induction programmes in the teaching content of the institution.
