Regional Education Analysis for Namibia - UNICEF · 2 3 Summary statistics In 2011 according to the...

Regional Education Analysisfor Namibia

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CONTENTSPreface 1

Education Profile for Namibia 2

Regional Education Profile for Caprivi 8

Regional Education Profile for Erongo 10

Regional Education Profile for Hardap 12

Regional Education Profile for Karas 14

Regional Education Profile for Kavango 16

Regional Education Profile for Khomas 18

Regional Education Profile for Kunene 20

Regional Education Profile for Ohangwena 22

Regional Education Profile for Omaheke 24

Regional Education Profile for Omusati 26

Regional Education Profile for Oshana 28

Regional Education Profile for Oshikoto 30

Regional Education Profile for Otjozundjupa 32

Appendix on data sources 35

PREFACEThe Regional Education Analysis provides high level analytical overview of access to and learning outcomes at primary and junior secondary levels in Namibia and its 13 regions using data from EMIS, Namibia Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), Namibia Household Income and Expenditure Surveys (NHIES) and the Southern African Consortium for Monitoring Education Quality (SACMEQ) and the national Standardized Achievement Test (SAT) for Grade 7.

The report is largely made up of 2-page analytical summaries for Namibia and each of the 13 regions. The analysis focuses on bottlenecks in the system as well as inequity by gender, income and within the regions.

The report complements the “Trends and Gaps” Report (2011) which offers more detailed analysis of:

Trends in access to education, retention and survival rates to secondary; •Gaps and obstacles to achievement of universal primary education in Namibia; and •Options in form of recommendations that the MoE could consider in addressing the critical gaps. •

The Trend and Gap analysis offers a national overview while the regional analysis focuses on region specific bottlenecks and obstacles to progress toward universal access to primary education, improved transition to secondary education and quality learning outcomes.

Namibia has established an extensive Education Management Information System (EMIS), widely regarded as reliable and of good quality. However, the EMIS report mainly contains statistical tables with limited analytical content. For instance, the annual report does not present analysis of progress toward education development goals and prevalence of disparities in the system.

EMIS also does not capture comparable data on key education indicators from surveys such as DHS, NHIES and SACMEQ, all of which report on key education indicators. The DHS and SACMEQ in particular collect information on children’s socio economic background which enables deeper understanding of the prevalence of inequity in the system.

The two analytical reports (Trends and Gaps and Regional Analysis) are therefore important complementary tools to EMIS for improved planning and budgeting to achieve equitable access and quality of education for all children in Namibia.

The report has been prepared on behalf of the EMIS Unit, Ministry of Education, by Dr. Annababette Wils, an Independent Consultant. Funding for preparation of the report was made available by UNICEF Namibia.

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Summary statistics

In 2011 according to the recent census, there were 2.1 million people living in Namibia, of whom 600,000 - a little under 30% - were of school age, 7-18. Many of these children – 33% - were living in poor households (NHIES, 2009/10). Poverty is unequally distributed in the country, ranging from 10% of children living in poor households in Erongo, to 60% in Kavango. Poverty and its unequal distribution play an important role in education bottlenecks and inequity in Namibia, as the analyses below show.

In 2012, there were 1,723 schools, with 24,665 teachers and 617,827 children in school. Overall, there are 25 learners per teacher for primary and secondary although a small portion (11%) of class groups had more than 40 learners (EMIS, 2012). The net attendance rate for primary was high, 91%, but lower, 47%, for secondary (DHS, 2006/07).

Summary statistics NationalPopulation (Census, 2011) 2,104,900

School-age population, 7-18 599,897

% school age children in poor households (NHIES, 2009/10) 33%

Number of schools (EMIS, 2012) 1,723

Teachers ((EMIS, 2012), 2012)

Primary (approximate) 15,283

Secondary (approximate) 8,306

% Female 63%

% Qualified 88%

Learners (EMIS, 2012) 617,827

Primary only 393,385

Attendance rates net/gross (DHS, 2006/07)

Primary 91/133

Secondary 47/60

Learner teacher ratio (EMIS, 2012)

Primary (approximate) 25

Secondary (approximate) 20

NA

MIB

IA

The learner pyramid, repetition and dropout rates

The large grade pyramid to the left shows male and female learners in Namibia by grade in 2012. There is an even distribution between boys and girls, reflecting gender parity at both primary and secondary throughout the country. There were a fairly even number of learners in each grade of primary school (up to grade 7). This means that overall, many children complete primary school. But there is a marked drop-off from grades 8 to 12, due to high secondary school dropout rates. There is bulging at grades 1, 5 and 8, caused by very high repetition rates (18%, 21% and 30% respectively). Between regions some, like Khomas (small pyramid below), have a straight, even pyramid (low dropout); other regions such as Kunene, Kavango, Omaheke and Otjozundjupa have wide-based grade pyramids indicating dropout rates start in primary school (Kunene shown as an example below).

Education Profile: Namibia

About learners by grade

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Inequity underlying basic education bottlenecks in Namibia – case of the vanishing poor learners.

According to (DHS, 2006/07) data, 2 regions have significantly low percentages of children ever attending school – Kunene (68%), Omaheke (82%). These low percentages are correlated with inaccessibility of schools for many rural children in these regions. In Kunene and Omaheke, less than half of rural school age children are within 10 km of a primary or combined school (NHIES, 2009/10). Poor children in these regions are more adversely affected by school distance than non-poor children as discussed in the regional sections below. In other regions, provision of rural schools and rural percentages ever attending school are higher.

Only 78% of children age 17 had completed primary school. According to our analysis of the 2007 (DHS, 2006/07) and 2010 NHIES datasets, the strongest predictor of primary school dropout is income. Once in school, children from poorer groups tend to do much worse than those from wealthier. The figure to the left shows the proportion of learners who drop out of primary school by the wealth of their households. As the figure shows, 37% of poorest children (from the lowest 20% of incomes) drop out of primary school; compared to only 4% of children from the richest 20% of households (DHS, 2006/07).

Among the learners who reach the end of primary, the SACMEQ data show that learners from the top 25% of incomes perform much better than those from the lower 75% (see table at left). In math, 43% of wealthier learners had a score of 4 or higher (adequate or better level), compared to 7% and 12%

for the two lower income groups. Similar differences pertain to reading. The advantage of the top 25% is so great, that the regional pattern for the learning outcomes shown in the figure on the bottom right is almost entirely predicted by incomes. That means: Erongo, Khomas and Karas have the highest scores because they have the most wealthy children; Oshikoto and Ohangwena do worst because they have the fewest wealthy children.

Bottlenecks in primary and junior secondary education, Namibia

This section below focuses on seven measures for primary school performance, each of which can be a significant bottleneck. The section includes four important input measures: materials (textbooks), qualified teachers, class size and schools within walking distance. It also includes three outcome measures relating to entry, completion and learning: the % of children who ever attend primary and junior secondary school; the % of children who complete those levels; and how many learners have achieved the desired learning levels.

Bottlenecks in primary. Bottlenecks in junior secondary.High-risk bottlenecks: lack of materials, dropout, learning.

High-risk bottlenecks: lack of materials, dropout, learning.

The greatest input bottleneck is in textbooks, notebooks and pens. According to data from the SACMEQ assessment in 2007, only 32% of children had their own math or reading textbooks. There are large regional differences in textbook ownership, from 69% in Erongo to a low of 13% in Kavango. This finding from SACMEQ looks like a contradiction to (EMIS, 2012) data, which suggest that on average, there are enough textbooks in schools. It is possible that the books are not equitably distributed. The country has sufficient teachers overall – in 84% of schools there were fewer than 30 learners per teachers - and the percentage of teachers who are qualified, is rising quickly – from 61% in 2005 to 79% in 2012. Namibia is a sparsely populated country, making it more difficult to provide schools within reach of all children. Nonetheless, 96% of children live within 10 km of a primary or combined school.

Overall, 95% of children in Namibia ever attend primary school. Most of the 5% non-entrants do not have a school nearby, as discussed in the regional sections. Only 78% of the 17 year-olds in Namibia had completed primary school. The biggest school outcome bottleneck however, is low learning levels. In the 2012 SAT of 7th graders, an average of 78% of scored “basic” or higher in English, Math and Science. Another learning measure is the 2007 SACMEQ assessment. SACMEQ scores have a scale from 1-8, with 4 being adequate for 6th grade. In Namibia, only 61% of the learners scored 4+ in reading (adequate levels); and only 18% in math. Better learning scores are concentrated among the wealthiest learners.

The provision of schools and qualified teachers for junior secondary is quite high at the national level: 94% of teachers are qualified, and 88% of children have a secondary or combined school within 10 km – somewhat lower than the availability of primary schools.

Despite relatively high school proximity, only 67% of children ever attend lower secondary school by age 17 (DHS, 2006/07). The poorer the child, the lower the probability that he or she will continue to junior secondary school. Among the poorest children (lowest 20% of incomes) only 44% enter secondary; compared to 91% of the wealthiest children (from top 20% of incomes, (DHS, 2006/07). The repetition rates in 8th and 9th grade are very high (30% and 22% respectively, (EMIS, 2012), intended to remediate low learning levels from primary. Nonetheless, a large portion of learners drops out in the first two grades of junior secondary, and only 43% of children reach the 10th grade. Even among these, only half pass the Junior Secondary Certificate (JSC) exam. No background information about successful candidates is known. Private schools had a somewhat higher pass rate than public (63% vs. 48%), and urban schools performed marginally better than rural (53% pass vs. 46%), while pass rates in combined or secondary schools are almost equal (48% vs. 50%). There is enormous variation between schools, with school-level JSC pass rates ranging from 7% candidates passing to 100%. To improve learning outcomes for the JSC, it is critical to understand what distinguishes the failing schools from the successful ones.

SACMEQ scores by income

Socio-economic group

Lowest 25%

Middle 50%

Top25%

4+ on Math 7% 12% 43%

4+ on Reading 46% 57% 87%

NA

MIB

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In secondary school, barriers for poor children continue. Only 44% children from the poorest 20% of households enter junior secondary, compared to 91% of children from the wealthiest 20% of households; further, only 13% children from the poorest households reach the end of junior secondary compared to 78% of children from the wealthiest households. The exclusion of poor at every level results in a gradual disappearance of poor children from classrooms as we go to higher grades - as shown in the figure on the lower left. Children from the poorest 20% of households make up a quarter of the school entry age population, but comprise only 14% of those who complete primary, only 7% of those with adequate learning scores in SACMEQ, and only 4% of the learners who reach the end of junior secondary school.

Regional Education ProfilesCaprivi | Erongo | Hardap | Karas | Kavango | Khomas | Kunene

| Ohangwena | Omaheke | Omusati | Oshana | Oshikoto | Otjozondjupa

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CA

PRIV

IRegional Education Profile: CapriviSummary statistics

Caprivi NationalPopulation (Census, 2011) 90,100 2,104,900

School-age population, 7-18 27,309 599,897

% in poor households (NHIES, 2009) 53% 33%

Number of schools (EMIS, 2012) 100 1,703

Teachers (EMIS, 2012)

Primary (approximate) 821 15,314

Secondary (approximate) 509 8,294

% Female 50% 59%

% Qualified 82% 80%

Learners (EMIS, 2012) 30,568 623,116

Primary only 18,392 393,385


Primary 95/126 91/133

Secondary 52/66 47/60

Learners per teacher primary 22 26

Learners per teacher secondary 17 21

Textbooks per pupil (EMIS, 2012) 3.8 4.1

% schools > 3 textbooks/ learner 55% 63%

In 2012, Caprivi region had a total of 30,568 learners of whom a little over half (51%) were boys. The majority of learners were in primary schools – 18,392. In addition, there were 6,569 learners in junior secondary; and 2,240 in senior secondary. The grade pyramid to the left shows the number of learners by sex in each grade. There is some bulging at grades 1 and 5, especially of boys, due to repetition in those grades. Repetition rates in Caprivi are high throughout all of primary. The highest rates are in Grades 5, 8, and 9 (20%, 26%, 25% respectively); these rates are about equal to the national averages. There is a gradual tapering of the pyramid from grades 8 - 12 due to drop out rates.

Bottlenecks in primary education. Bottlenecks in junior secondary.High-risk bottlenecks: materials, dropout, learning High-risk bottlenecks: dropout, inequitable

learning outcomes

The chart shows seven measures for primary school, each of which can be a significant bottleneck, for Caprivi and for Namibia overall. The chart contains three important input measures: materials (books and pens), qualified teachers, and schools within walking distance. It also shows three salient outcome measures relating to entry, completion and learning: the % of children who ever attend primary school before age 10; the % of children who complete primary; and how many learners have achieved the desired learning levels.

The graph shows that the average own-textbook ownership for Math and English is only 48% of students (SACMEQ). This is higher than the national average but still far too few. (EMIS, 2012) data show that the level of qualified primary teachers (having completed grade 12 or more) in Caprivi is just above the national average (82% vs. 79%). Nearly all (98%) school-age children (age 7-18) are within 10 km of a primary or combined school - compared to 96% in the country as a whole (NHIES, 2009/10).

Almost all 99% of children in Caprivi have ever attended school by the age of 10 (DHS, 2006/07). 78% of 17-year olds in Caprivi had completed primary, equal to the national level. School dropout is correlated to income. Among children in the poorest households (lowest 20% of incomes), 68% of 17 year-olds had completed primary; compared to 90% of 17 year-olds from wealthier households (top 40% of incomes). Finally, an important bottleneck in the Caprivi region, as elsewhere in Namibia, is learning outcomes. Only 78% percent of learners in grade 7 had a basic levels of mastery in English, Math, and Science in the SAT (2012). According to SACMEQ, only 58% reached the standard adequate levels (score 4 and higher) for English and 12% for Math.

The chart shows five potential bottlenecks for secondary, similar to the chart for primary: teachers and distance to school; entry, completion and learning.

Teachers are not a bottleneck – 94% are qualified. Schools are also accessible – 92% of children ages 10-18 live within 10 km of a secondary or combined school.

With that said, a bigger barrier to secondary school in Caprivi is income rather than distance. Only 70% of children in Caprivi ever attend lower secondary, and the disparity by income is large. Among children from poorest 20% households, only 60% ever attended junior secondary, compared to 90% of children from the wealthiest 20% of households (DHS, 2006/07). Only 6 out of 10 of those who enter junior secondary complete (reach grade 10). Among the poorest children, only 13% completed junior secondary compared to 70% among the wealthier learners (top 40% of incomes), (DHS, 2006/07). Of the learners in Grade 10 who sit the Junior Secondary Certificate exam, 59%

pass. This is a good measure above the national average of 50% (NBEA). As elsewhere in the country, the difference in learning quality at the secondary level between schools is very high. Among the top 20% of schools (10 schools in Caprivi), 80% of the candidates passed the JSC exam, compared to only 32% passing in the lowest performing schools (NBEA, 2013). Students in the highest performing school, Mavuluma Junior Secondary, 91% of candidates passed. Their performance was best in English, Math and History (90% passed), and worst in First Language exam. In contrast, the Kongola Combined school had the lowest pass rates (7%), and there, even though 48% passed First Language, only 7% passed English, 6% passed Math, and none passed Life Science. Any solution to low learning rates needs to address such under-performing schools.


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ERO

NG

ORegional Education Profile for ErongoSummary statistics

Erongo National

Population (Census, 2011) 150,400 2,104,900


% in poor households (NHIES, 2009/10) 10% 33%





% Female 67% 59%

% Qualified 83% 80%

Learners (EMIS, 2012) 33,088 623,116



Primary 93/117 91/133






In 2012, Erongo region had 63 schools with a total of 32,148 learners of whom a little over half (51%) were girls. The majority of learners were in primary schools – 20,458. In addition, there were 7,279 learners in junior secondary; and 2,218 in senior secondary. The grade pyramid to the left shows the number of learners by sex in each grade. As in other regions, there are high repetition rates at grades 1, 5, 8 and 9 (13%, 12%, 20% and 14% respectively) although they are lower than in the rest of the country. There is marked dropout in grades 8 to 10, and 35% more girls in grades 11 and 12 than boys. Also notable in Erongo is the high growth rate of the number of learners - over 4% annually since 2005 - due to immigration.

Bottlenecks in primary education. Bottlenecks in junior secondary.High-risk bottlenecks: materials High-risk bottlenecks: School disparity in

learning outcomes

The chart shows seven measures for primary school, each of which can be a significant bottleneck, for Erongo and for Namibia overall. The chart contains four important input measures: materials (books), qualified teachers, crowding in classrooms, and schools within walking distance. It also shows three salient outcome measures relating to entry, completion and learning: the % of children who enter primary school before age 10; the % of children who complete primary; and how many learners have achieved the desired learning levels.

The graph suggests that the average book ownership for English and Math books is much higher than in the rest of the country (SACMEQ). Interestingly the number of books overall is not very different from the country as a whole; perhaps the distribution is better. The qualification of teachers, school crowding (measured by schools with high learner to teacher ratios) and school proximity are all close to national averages.

In Erongo, the school percent who ever attend school is also average - 95% of children in Erongo enter school by the age of 10 (DHS, 2006/07). Erongo differs from the rest of country with high primary completion and learning rates. 91% of 17 year-olds had completed primary school, compared to 78% in the country overall. School dropout is correlated to income. While only 60% of children in the poorer households (lowest 40% of incomes) complete primary, 96% of children from the wealthiest (top 20%) of households do so (DHS, 2006/07).

Primary learning rates in the Erongo region are the highest in the country next to Khomas. An average of 90% of learners achieved basic mastery of English, Math and Science (SAT, 2012); 38% achieved “above basic”; and an average 66% scored above adequate (4+) in SACMEQ. An analysis of the SACMEQ data suggests that the high learning levels of Erongo are almost entirely predicted by the higher levels of relative wealth in the region.

The chart shows five potential bottlenecks for secondary, similar to the chart for primary: teachers and distance to school; entry, completion and learning. Teachers are not a bottleneck – 96% are qualified. Schools are fairly accessible – 92% of children age 10-18 live within 10 km of a secondary or combined school.

A fairly high proportion of children ever attend junior secondary - 81%. There are very few children in the poorest income category in Erongo; those from the middle-income levels have lower chances to enter and complete junior secondary. 40% of children from the lower 60% of incomes complete junior secondary in Erongo, compared to 84% of children from the wealthiest 20% of households (DHS, 2006/07),.

Of the learners in Grade 10 who sit the Junior Secondary Certificate exam, 57% pass, higher than the national average (NBEA). The JSC exam was administered in 20 schools in Erongo. The difference in learning quality between schools is very high. Among the top 4 schools in the region, more than 90% of the candidates passed the Junior secondary exam, compared to only 40% or less passing in the 5 lowest performing schools (NBEA, 2013). The two best performing schools are two public, rural primary schools, the Brandberg primary school (100% passed), Ebenhaeser primary school (96% passed). The lowest pass rates are in two public, urban schools – the Atlantic Junior Secondary School (30% passed), and the Namib High School (20% passed). Any solution to low learning rates needs to address these, and other under-performing schools.

Of the learners in Grade 10 who sit the Junior Secondary Certificate exam, 57% pass, higher than the national average (NBEA). The JSC exam was administered in 20 schools in Erongo. The difference in learning quality between schools is very high. Among the top 4 schools in the region, more than 90% of the candidates passed the Junior secondary exam, compared to only 40% or less passing in the 5 lowest performing schools (NBEA, 2013). The two best performing schools are two public, rural primary schools, the Brandberg primary school (100% passed), Ebenhaeser primary school (96% passed). The lowest pass rates are in two public, urban schools – the Atlantic Junior Secondary School (30% passed), and the Namib High School (20% passed). Any solution to low learning rates needs to address these, and other under-performing schools.


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HA

RD

APRegional Education Profile for Hardap

Summary statisticsHardap National








% Female 60% 59%

% Qualified 79% 80%

Learners (EMIS, 2012) 22,013 623,116



Primary 93/125 91/133






In 2012, Hardap region had 56 schools with a total of 22,103 learners of whom exactly 50% were girls. The majority of learners were in primary schools - 14,343. In addition, there were 4,450 learners in junior secondary; and 1,092 in senior secondary. The grade pyramid to the left shows the number of learners by sex in each grade. There is some bulging at grades 1, 5 and 8 caused by high repetition. Repetition rates in Hardap slightly lower than in the rest of the country. The pyramid is relatively straight up to grade 8, suggesting that many children are able to complete primary.

Bottlenecks in primary education. Bottlenecks in junior secondary.High-risk bottlenecks: materials, learning High-risk bottlenecks: distance to school,

dropout, learning outcomes

The chart shows seven measures for primary school, each of which can be a significant bottleneck, for Hardap and for Namibia overall. The chart contains four important input measures: materials (books), qualified teachers, crowding in classrooms and schools within walking distance. It also shows three salient outcome measures relating to entry, completion and learning: the % of children who enter primary school before age 10; the % of children who complete primary; and how many learners have achieved the desired learning levels.

The graph shows that the average ownership of math and reading textbooks is 45% of learners (SACMEQ). This is higher than the country overall, reflected also in the higher average number of textbooks per learner (EMIS, 2012). The level of qualified primary teachers (having completed grade 12 or more) and the level of crowding (schools with more than 30 learners per teachers) are similar to the rest of the country, and not of much concern. However, only 84% of school-age children (age 7-18) are within 10 km of a primary or combined school - compared to 96% in the country as a whole (NHIES 2009/10).

Despite the relatively large proportion of children whose school is far away, 96% of children in Hardap enter school by the age of 10 (DHS, 2006/07). It is notable that, despite the distance, all children enter school; the same is not true in the two other regions, Kunene and Omaheke, where a significant portion of children does not have a school nearby. The high rate of school entry is related to the fact that almost all children in Hardap come from middle-income or wealthier households. Moreover, the proportion of 17 year-olds who had completed primary is higher in Hardap than in the country as a whole - 85% vs. 78% in the country overall. With regards to learning, Hardap performs slightly worse than the rest of the country, 73% of learners had not achieved basic mastery in the SAT in 7th grade.


Teachers are not a bottleneck – 97% are qualified. Schools are less accessible – only 74% of children age 10-18 live within 10 km of a secondary or combined school.

Despite the distance to secondary schools, a higher proportion of children had ever attended junior secondary than in other regions in the country (mirroring the high entry into primary despite school distance) – namely 72%. One third of those drop out before reaching grade 10. Dropout rates are high in all income groups. Ultimately, only 24% of children from middle income and poorer households (bottom 60%) complete junior secondary, compared to 76% of children from the wealthiest households (top 20%, (DHS, 2006/07).

The pass rates in the Junior Secondary Certificate exam, are lower than in the rest of the country -- only 47% pass (NBEA, 2013). Hardap is peculiar among the regions in that it has a higher proportion of failing schools (with very low JSC pass rates) than other regions. The figure to the left shows the JSC exam pass rates among schools, divided into five groups. In the middle group, only 24% of learners passed the JSC exam; in the bottom fourth and fifth, it was less than 15%. Of the 13 schools that reported JSC exam results, there were 5 where fewer than 20% passed: Groenewald JSS (17%), Vooruitsig CS (15%), Tsaitsaib CS (14%), Daweb JSS (13%), and WJD Cloete CS (13%). Even in the best performing school – Dr. Lemmer High School – only 81% passed. Hardap is also particular, in that the repetition rate of 10th grade is higher than elsewhere – perhaps related to the low JSC outcomes?


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Regional Education Profile for KarasSummary statistics

Karas NationalPopulation (Census, 2011) 76,000 2,104,900







% Female 64% 59%

% Qualified 74% 80%

Learners (EMIS, 2012) 19,967 623,116



Primary 97/121 91/133






In 2012, Karas region had 49 schools with a total of 19,967 learners of whom a little over half (51%) were girls. The majority of learners were in primary schools – 12,483. In addition, there were 4,349 learners in junior secondary; and 1,128 in senior secondary. The grade pyramid to the left shows the number of learners by sex in each grade. There is high gender parity in all grades. There is some bulging at grades 1, 5, 8 and 9 caused by higher repetition in those grades (18%, 17%, 26% and 18% respectively), although overall, repetition rates in Karas are average compared to the rest of the country. There is a gradual tapering of the pyramid from grades 8 - 12 partly due to drop out rates.

Bottlenecks in primary education. Bottlenecks in junior secondary.High-risk bottlenecks: materials High-risk bottlenecks: School distance,

learning outcomes

The chart shows seven measures for primary school, each of which can be a significant bottleneck, for Karas and for Namibia overall. The chart contains four important input measures: materials (books), qualified teachers, crowding in classroom and schools within walking distance. It also shows three salient outcome measures relating to entry, completion and learning: the % of children who enter primary school before age 10; the % of children who complete primary; and how many learners have achieved the desired learning levels.

The graph shows that the average ownership of math and reading textbooks is 48% of learners (SACMEQ, 2007). In contrast the number of books per learner is the same as in the rest of the country. It could be that books are better distributed among learners in Karas. (EMIS, 2012) data show that the level of qualified primary teachers (having completed grade 12 or more) is somewhat low in Karas – 74% compared to a national average of 79%. 89% of school-age children (age 7-18) are within 10 km of a primary or combined school - compared to 96% in the country as a whole (NHIES dataset, 2009/10).

As in Hardap, despite longer distances to school, most - 986% - of children in Karas enter school by the age of 10 (DHS, 2006/07). Moreover, Karas has one of the highest rates of 17 year-olds who had completed primary school – 923%, which is comparable to Erongo and Khomas. Interestingly, the % of 17 year-olds who had completed primary is high among all income groups – it is 76% for learners from the poorer 40% of incomes and 98% for learners from the wealthiest 20% of incomes. It would be useful to learn from Karas what is helping poor children to stay in school.

In 7th grade, the learners performed very slightly better than the national average on the SAT – an average of 80% of learners had reached basic mastery in the three subjects tested (compared to 78% in the country as a whole).


Teachers are not a bottleneck – 91% are qualified. As with primary schools, school accessibility for secondary schools is considerably lower in Karas than in the rest of the country – almost 40% of children lived more than 10 km from the nearest secondary or combined school.

Despite the distance, 87% of children start secondary. Again, this pattern deserves attention to see if it can be extended to other regions, notably Kunene and Omaheke, where many children who live far from schools never attend junior secondary do not enter. About two thirds (66%) of the learners who attend, also complete junior secondary, which is on a par with the two other best performing regions, Erongo and Khomas (DHS, 2006/07).

Of the learners in Grade 10 who sit the Junior Secondary Certificate exam, only 48% pass (NBEA), on a par with the rest of the country. Of the 14 schools where learners sat the JSC, the two best-performing schools are the private Oranjemund Private School (88% passed) and the public P.K. de Villiers Secondary School (81% passed). After these two schools, there is a big gap; the next best performing schools after these two are the Schmelenville JSS and Karasburg PS (56% passed in both). In the remaining 10 schools more than half of the candidates failed. Among these lower performing schools there are private and public, urban and rural schools.

KA

RA

S


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Regional Education Profile for KavangoSummary statistics

Karas NationalPopulation (Census, 2011) 222,500 2,104,900





Primary (approximate) 1,987 15,314


% Female 42% 59%

% Qualified 72% 80%

Learners (EMIS, 2012) 74,967 623,116



Primary 87/139 91/133






In 2012, Kavango region had 322 schools with a total of 74,967 learners, of whom 49% were girls. The majority of learners were in primary schools – 53,509. In addition, there were 14,126 learners in junior secondary; and 2,810 in senior secondary. The grade pyramid to the left shows the number of learners by sex in each grade. Overall, there is high gender parity in each grade. Notable for Kavango: is the pyramid is tapered from grade 1 onwards – this is due to one of the highest primary drop out rates in the country. Kavango is one of the poorest regions of Namibia (next to Caprivi), and this almost certainly plays a role in the high losses in school. Also notable for Kavango: repetition rates are much higher repetition rates in primary than elsewhere. An average of 21% of learners in primary was repeating compared to 15% in the country as a whole.

Bottlenecks in primary education. Bottlenecks in junior secondary.High-risk bottlenecks: materials, teachers, dropout High-risk bottlenecks: entry to

secondary and dropout in secondary

The chart shows seven measures for primary school, each of which can be a significant bottleneck, for Kavango and for Namibia overall. The chart contains four important input measures: materials (books), qualified teachers, crowding in schools, and schools within walking distance. It also shows three salient outcome measures relating to entry, completion and learning: the % of children who enter primary school before age 10; the % of children who complete primary; and how many learners have achieved the desired learning levels.

The graph shows that the average ownership of math and reading textbooks is lowest in the country, only 13% of learners (SACMEQ). The average number of textbooks per learner is also lower than the average in the country (EMIS, 2012). (EMIS, 2012) data show that the level of qualified primary teachers and the number of schools with enough teachers (fewer than 30 learners per teacher) are lower in Kavango than the rest of the country. This means that fundamental school inputs - qualified teachers and learning materials are too low in Kavango.

On the other hand, 98% of children live within 10 km of a school, and almost all children enter school – 94%. The percent ever attending school in Kavango are consistent for all income groups, and distance to school is not an obstacle. That said, the drop out rates appear to be among the highest in the country (other regions where dropout appears high are Kunene and Oshikoto). Only 69% of 17 year-olds in Kavango had reached grade 7, compared to 78% in the country overall. School dropout is correlated with income. Whereas among the poorest children (lowest 20% of incomes), only 56% of children reach the end of primary; 89% of wealthier children (top 40% incomes) reach the end of primary school (DHS, 2006/07).

According to SAT, the learning outcomes for those who do reach the end of primary school are about average compared to the rest of the country. Those scores should seen against the high dropout rates – if children who have learned the least are disproportionally leaving school, then the actual learning rates in Kavango are even lower than indicated by the SAT scores.



But even if secondary schools are physically within reach, many children do not proceed to junior secondary – only 54% of children do so. The explanation for this low outcome is the high prevalence of poverty in the region – 60% of school-age children according to NHIES data. On average, only 41% of the poorest children enter secondary – the high prevalence of poverty depresses overall percent ever attending secondary. Moreover, dropout rates in 8th and 9th grade are high – only 25% of children reach grade 10 in Kavango. Among the poorest, only 11% reach grade 10; compared to 61% of children from the wealthier households (top 40% of incomes, (DHS, 2006/07).Of the learners Grade 10 who sit the Junior Secondary Certificate exam,

only 48% pass (NBEA, 2013). Kavango has 58 schools that administered the JSC exam. Among these, there were 6 where more than 90% of candidates passed, two private and four public schools, and five of them in rural areas – St. Boniface College (100% passed), ELCIN Nkurenkuru HS, Tuguva CS, Diyana CS, Noordgrens SS, and Sharukwe CS. At the same time, Kavango also had one of the worst performing schools in the country, the Mayara CS, where only 10% of candidates passed the JSC exam.

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Regional Education Profile for KhomasSummary statistics

Khomas NationalPopulation (Census, 2011) 340,900 2,104,900






Secondary (approximate) 1,126 8,294

% Female 71% 59%

% Qualified 85% 80%

Learners (EMIS, 2012) 75,958 623,116



Primary 92/122 91/133






In 2012, Khomas region had a total of 75,958 learners of whom a little over half (52%) were girls. The majority of learners were in primary schools, 44,540. In addition, there were 16,926 learners in junior secondary; and 6,317 in senior secondary. The grade pyramid to the left shows the number of learners by sex in each grade. The distribution of learners is more even in Khomas than in any other region, due to the dominant effects of the capitol Windhoek. Dropout rates in primary as well as secondary are low, transition to junior secondary is high. At the same time, repetition rates are much lower than in the rest of the country (an average of 6% compared to the national average of 16%). In many ways, Khomas is the leading region in education in Namibia.

Bottlenecks in primary education. Bottlenecks in junior secondary.High-risk bottlenecks: crowding in schools High-risk bottlenecks: junior secondary

dropout, learning

The chart shows seven measures for primary school, each of which can be a significant bottleneck, for Khomas and for Namibia overall. The chart contains four important input measures: materials (books), qualified teachers, crowding in classroom and schools within walking distance. It also shows three salient outcome measures relating to entry, completion and learning: the % of children who enter primary school before age 10; the % of children who complete primary; and how many learners have achieved the desired learning levels.

The graph shows just two problematic bottlenecks for the Khomas region – a majority of children do not have their own math or reading books (SACMEQ), and in one-third of the schools there is some measure of crowding (more than 30 learners per teachers). The level of school crowding, measured in this way, is higher in Khomas than in any other region (except Otjozundjupa) and likely reflects the high immigration rates to Windhoek and the difficulty of keeping up with the growing school age population.

Virtually all children in Khomas (99%) enter school by the age of 10 (DHS, 2006/07). This is above the national average of 96%. Moreover, almost all 17 year-olds in Khomas had completed primary (91%). Concerning learning outcomes, an average of 90% of the learners in 7th grade reached basic mastery in English, Math or Science, and more than half, 54% scored above basic or higher. These are the highest levels of all regions.


Teachers are not a bottleneck – 94% are qualified. Schools are fully accessible – 100% of children age 10-18 live within 10 km of a secondary or combined school, more than in any other region.

The transition rate to junior secondary is almost complete – 91% of school age children complete primary and 88% enter junior secondary. Drop out rates are low compared to the rest of the country, and 68% of children reach the end of junior secondary in Khomas. 73% of children from the wealthier households (top 40%), and 44% of children from lower-middle incomes (bottom 60%) complete junior secondary in Khomas.

Of the learners in Grade 10 who sit the Junior Secondary Certificate exam, only 44% pass – a little lower than the national average (NBEA, 2013). Interestingly, Khomas, despite being the location of the capitol city, has just an average density of top-performing secondary schools. Of the 30 secondary schools in the region, there were 5 with pass rates above 90% -- Highlands Christian School and Windhoek Gymnasium (both 100%), Delta Secondary School (99%), Jan Möhr Secondary School (94%), Windhoek High School (94%). There were about as many failing secondary schools as elsewhere in the country, including 4 with pass rates below 20%: Augustineum Secondary School (18%), Goreangab Junior Secondary School (16%), Groot Aub Secondary (14%) and Acacia High School (14%).

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Regional Education Profile for KuneneSummary statistics

Kunene NationalPopulation (Census, 2011) 88,300 2,104,900







% Female 48% 59%

% Qualified 73% 80%

Learners (EMIS, 2012) 19,390 623,116



Primary 56/76 91/133






In 2012, Kunene region had 55 schools with a total of 19,390 learners and an even distribution of males and females overall. The majority of learners were in primary schools – 13,885. In addition, there were 3,416 learners in junior secondary; and just 620 in senior secondary. The grade pyramid to the left shows the number of learners by sex in each grade. Notable for Kunene is that the pyramid is tapered from grade 1 onwards – this is due to one of the highest drop out rates in primary in the country (along with Kavango and Oshikoto). Repetition rates are about average for the country, and highest in grade 1 (18%), grade 5 (20%), and grades 8 and 9 (32% and 33% respectively).

Bottlenecks in primary education. Bottlenecks in junior secondary.

High-risk bottlenecks: distance to school, entry to primary, primary dropout

High-risk bottlenecks: Distance to school, junior secondary entry and completion

The chart shows seven measures for primary school, each of which can be a significant bottleneck, for Kunene and for Namibia overall. The chart contains four important input measures: materials (books), qualified teachers, crowding in classroom and schools within walking distance. It also shows three salient outcome measures relating to entry, completion and learning: the % of children who enter primary school before age 10; the % of children who complete primary; and how many learners have achieved the desired learning levels.

The graph shows that the average ownership of a math or English textbook is somewhat lower than the national average - 24% vs. 32% (SACMEQ). (EMIS, 2012) data show that the level of qualified primary teachers (having completed grade 12 or more) is somewhat low in Kunene – 75%, just below the national average of 79%. Of greater concern is school proximity: only 72% of school-age children (age 7-18) are within 10 km of a primary or combined school. In rural areas, only half of children live within 10 km of a school.

Kunene has the lowest school entry and attendance rates in the county. According to the (DHS, 2006/07) survey, only 68% of children ever attend primary school by age 10. It bears to mention that the NHIES suggests a higher rate of school entry, namely, 89% - Kunene is the only region where there is such a large difference between the (DHS, 2006/07) and NHIES with regards to school entry. It is possible that the NHIES, being slightly more recent, reflects a rapid change that occurred in Kunene between 2006 and 2009 and would be important to investigate this on the ground. To remain consistent with the other regions, the (DHS, 2006/07) data are used for the remainder of this analysis.

According to (DHS, 2006/07), among children from the poorest 20% of households, only 41% of children will ever attend primary school (the exact number depends on the age range chosen from the dataset). Non-entry is also high among the children from the middle range of incomes, but 96% of children from wealthier households (top 40%) enter primary ((DHS, 2006/07), 2006/07). The NHIES data allow us to look at the combined effects of poverty and school proximity in rural areas. The chart at left shows the proportion of rural children (age 10-18) who had never gone to school for poor and non-poor depending on school distance. Among the poor, school distance increases the chances of never entering school. But among non-poor, school distance does not make a difference, although non-entry is unusually high compared to other regions.

Only a little more than half of 17 year-olds in Kunene completed primary, compared to 78% in the country overall. School dropout is correlated to income. Finally, the children who do complete primary have attained learning levels on a par with the rest of the country - 75% of the learners in 7th grade reached basic mastery in English, Math or Science.

The chart shows five potential bottlenecks for secondary, similar to the chart for primary: teachers and distance to school; entry, completion and learning. Teachers are not a bottleneck – 92% are qualified. The pattern with regards to school proximity, secondary school entry and junior secondary completion mirror the findings from primary school.

Secondary schools are not accessible for a large portion of the population; secondary school entry is very low (less than half of all children) and junior secondary completion is attained by only a quarter of the school-age population.

Among children from poor households (poorest 40%), almost none completed junior secondary; but even among the wealthier children (richest 20%) only half reach grade 10.

Of the few learners in 10th grade who sit the Junior Secondary Certificate exam, only 46% pass, somewhat below the national average (NBEA, 2013). In Kunene, JSC exams were administered in 13 schools. Only one school had a pass rate above 90% - Orumana Combined School (91%). The lowest performing school is the Alfa CS (18% passed). Both are public, rural schools. It is not immediately obvious what the difference in the schools can explain the extreme differences.

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Regional Education Profile for OhangwenaSummary statistics

Ohangwena National








% Female 57% 59%

% Qualified 85% 80%

Learner s(EMIS, 2012 91,620 623,116



Primary 91/147 91/133






In 2012, Ohangwena region had 242 schools and 3421 teachers. There were a total of 91,620 learners of whom 51% were girls. The majority of learners were in primary schools – 58,849. In addition, there were 21,637 learners in junior secondary; and 4,818 in senior secondary. The grade pyramid to the left shows the number of learners by sex in each grade. There is some bulging at grades 1, 5 and 8 caused by high repetition in those grades (20%, 25% and 36% respectively). The number of learners in grades 1-8 is relatively consistent, but there is a marked drop-off from grades 9-12, as many learners drop out in secondary school.

Bottlenecks in primary education. Bottlenecks in junior secondary.High-risk bottlenecks: Learning outcomes, learning materials

High-risk bottlenecks: entry of poor children, dropout, learning outcomes

The chart shows seven measures for primary school, each of which can be a significant bottleneck, for Ohangwena and for Namibia overall. The chart contains four important input measures: materials (books), qualified teachers, crowding in classroom and schools within walking distance. It also shows three salient outcome measures relating to entry, completion and learning: the % of children who enter primary school before age 10; the % of children who complete primary; and how many learners have achieved the desired learning levels.

With regards to all of the bottlenecks in primary schools, Ohangwena sits close to the national average. There is a shortage of book ownership (the average ownership of math and reading textbooks is 33% of learners according to SACMEQ data); and there is a slight shortage of qualified teachers, along with a small measure of school crowding. Virtually all school-age children (age 7-18) are within 10 km of a primary or combined school: 99%, compared to 96% in the country as a whole (NHIES, 2009/10).

93% of children in Ohangwena enter school by the age of 10 (DHS, 2006/07); and virtually the only children not entering school are from poor households (lowest 40% of incomes). 70% of 17 year-olds in Ohangwena had reached grade 7, compared to 78% in the country overall. School dropout is correlated to income. Among children in poorer households (lowest 40% of incomes), 30% of those who entered primary dropped out before completing; compared to 16% of children in better-off families (top 60% incomes). Learning outcomes are slightly lower than in the rest of the country. An average of 71% of the 7th grade learners had achieved basic mastery of Math, English, and Science.


Teachers are not a bottleneck – 95% are qualified. Secondary schools are readily accessible – 96% of children age 10-18 live within 10 km of a secondary or combined school – more than the national average.

Despite school proximity, only half of the children ever attended junior secondary (DHS, 2006/07), and the dropout rates are higher than in most other regions – only 23% of children completed junior secondary; much lower than the average in the rest of the country. Among poorer children from the poorer 40% of households, only 17% reached grade 10 (DHS, 2006/07).

As in most other regions, about half of the candidates for the JSC exam pass it, 47% in Ohangwena. The difference in learning quality between schools is high. Ohangwena is a populous region and there are many – 102 – schools where the JSC is taken. Among those, there are only three with high pass rates in excess of 90%: the Okelemba Combined School (98%), the Eengenjo Secondary school (98%), Haimbili-Haufiku Senior Secondary School (90%). All are public schools. At the same time, there are 8 schools with pass rates below 20% and two with pass rates of 10% - the Enyana Combined School and the Tulihongeni Combined School.

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Regional Education Profile for OmahekeSummary statistics

Omaheke National




Number of schools (EMIS, 2012), 2011) 41 1,703




% Female 55% 59%

% Qualified 74% 80%

Learners (EMIS, 2012) 17,194 623,116



Primary 84/119 91/133






In 2012, Omaheke region had 41 schools with a total of 17,194 learners and 706 teachers (EMIS, 2012). Of all learners, a little over half (52%) were girls. The majority of learners were in primary schools – 12,080. In addition, there were 3,107 learners in junior secondary; and 568 in senior secondary. The grade pyramid shows the number of learners by sex in each grade. The number of first and second graders is very large compared to the rest of the grades. This may be the result of high re-entry rate in those grades. Overall repetition rates are about average compared to the rest of Namibia, with the typical high rates in grades 1, 5, 8, and 9.

Bottlenecks in primary education. Bottlenecks in junior secondary.High-risk bottlenecks: distance to school, entry to primary, learning outcomes

High-risk bottlenecks: Dropout, learning outcomes, distance to school

The chart shows seven measures for primary school, each of which can be a significant bottleneck, for Omaheke and for Namibia overall. The chart contains four important input measures: materials (books), qualified teachers, crowding in classroom and schools within walking distance. It also shows three salient outcome measures relating to entry, completion and learning: the % of children who enter primary school before age 10; the % of children who complete primary; and how many learners have achieved the desired learning levels.

The bottom of the graph displays the coverage rates of fundamental school inputs: books and writing materials, certified teachers and school proximity. The graph shows that the average ownership of math and reading textbooks is low, only 26% of learners (SACMEQ). (EMIS, 2012) data show that only 74% of primary teachers are qualified, below the national average of 79%, but school crowding (more than 30 learners per teachers) is lower than the national average. School proximity is a significant bottleneck – only 69% of children have a school within 10 km. In rural areas, only 40% of children live within 10 km of a school.

Percent ever attended school are the among the lowest in Namibia: only 82% of children ever attend school by age 10 (NHIES, 2009/10). The low ever-attending rate may be related to a combination of distance and poverty. School is more than 10 km away for 31% of children, but in the rural areas, school is more than 10 km away for more than half of the children. The chart on the left shows that among non-poor rural children, school distance does not affect entry (about 12% do not enter regardless of whether school is nearby). But, among poor children, school distance matters. If school is within 10 km, 19% do never attend school, but if school is further away, 34% do never attend.

The dropout rates in primary school are relatively low in Omaheke. Overall, 76% of 17 year-olds had completed primary. Also, the learning levels are slightly higher among the learners who sat the SAT – 84% on average achieved basic mastery in English, Math and Science, higher than the national average.

The chart shows five potential bottlenecks for secondary, similar to the chart for primary: teachers and distance to school; entry, completion and learning. There are sufficient qualified teachers. But school proximity is even more constrained for secondary than for primary schools. Only half of the children have a secondary school within 10 km; in the rural areas, only 11% of children have a secondary school within 10 km (NHIES, 2009/10).

Despite distance to school, 66% of children in Omaheke enter lower secondary (DHS, 2006/07). but the dropout rates are very high. Only half of those who enter Junior Secondary reach grade 10 with high dropouts among at all income levels. Ultimately, 13% of poorer children (bottom 40% of incomes) and only 46% of wealthier children (top 40% of incomes) reached the end of junior secondary (DHS, 2006/07).

Of the learners Grade 10 who sit the Junior Secondary Certificate Exam, only 37% pass (NBEA, 2013). This is considerably less than the national average. In Omaheke, there were 10 schools where the JSC exam was administered. There were no excellent schools. The highest pass rate for a school was 79% (Johannes Döhren Roman Catholic High School), compared to high pass rates of 90-100% in other regions. Moreover, there were two schools with some of the lowest pass rates in the country, Gustav Kandjii Junior Secondary School (10%), Epukiro Post 3 Junior Secondary School (8%). The low pass rates in the JSC contrast sharply to the relatively good performance of the region on the SAT assessment.

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Regional Education Profile for OmusatiSummary statistics

Omusati National








% Female 63% 59%

% Qualified 80% 80%

Learners (EMIS, 2012) 87,782 623,116



Primary 96/150 91/133






In 2012, Omusati region had 274 schools with a total of 87,782 learners of whom 50% were girls. The majority of learners were in primary schools – 53,211. In addition, there were 21,465 learners in junior secondary; and 5,791 in senior secondary. The grade pyramid to the left shows the number of learners by sex in each grade. There is a relatively even number of learners up to grade 8, suggesting most learners remain in school up to that level. There is a marked drop off from grades 8 to 12, due to high dropout rates. Repetition rates in Omusati are the highest in the country (except Kunene). One fifth of the learners in 2012 was repeating. The percentage of repeaters is highest in grades 1, 5, 8, and 9 (24%, 25%, 36% and 30% respectively).

Bottlenecks in primary education. Bottlenecks in junior secondary.

High-risk bottlenecks: qualified teachers, learning High-risk bottlenecks:

The chart shows seven measures for primary school, each of which can be a significant bottleneck, for Omusati and for Namibia overall. The chart contains four important input measures: materials (books), qualified teachers, crowding in classroom and schools within walking distance. It also shows three salient outcome measures relating to entry, completion and learning: the % of children who enter primary school before age 10; the % of children who complete primary; and how many learners have achieved the desired learning levels.

The graph shows that the average ownership of math and reading textbooks is relatively low – only 26% of learners (SACMEQ, 2007). EMIS data show that the level of qualified primary teachers in Omusati is just below the national average 75% vs. 79%. Omusati stands out in that 99% of school-age children (age 7-18) are within 10 km of a primary or combined school and virtually all children in the region – 99% - have attended school by the age of 10.

The overall dropout rate in primary school is lower than elsewhere, and 83% of children in Omusati reach grade 7 by age 17, compared to 78% in the country overall ((DHS, 2006/07), 2006/07). School dropout is correlated to income. A relatively high proportion – 71% - of children from the poorest households (lowest 20% of incomes) completed primary by the age of 17 but that proportion was even higher – 90% -- among children from wealthier families (top 40%, (DHS, 2006/07).

The learning levels in Omusati are about average for the country – an average of 76% of learners scored “basic” or higher in English, Math or Science. At the same time, very few of learners were doing very well – scoring “above basic” or “excelling” (AB or E). Only 3% of learners scored AB/E for English, compared to 14% nationally; in Science it was 9% vs. 14% nationally; and in Math it was 15% vs. 23% nationally. The distribution of learning levels is very uneven across schools. The table at left shows the distribution of schools by the average proportion of learners who achieved basic mastery in English, Math and Science. In 5 out of the 178 schools reporting SAT scores in Omusati, less than half of the learners achieved basic mastery. At the other extreme, there were 19 schools where 90-100% of learners had achieved basic mastery or higher.


Teachers are not a bottleneck – 94% are qualified. Schools are fairly accessible – 97% of children age 10-18 live within 10 km of a secondary or combined school.

Despite school proximity, only 70% of children enter secondary school. Among children from poor households (poorest 20%), only 61% entered junior secondary, compared to 90% of children from the wealthier 40% of households (DHS, 2006/07). Moreover, the dropout rates are very high – only 29% completed junior secondary. Among the poorest children, only 19% reach the end of junior secondary, compared to 65% of wealthier children (top 40% of incomes, (DHS, 2006/07).

Of the learners Grade 10 who sit the Junior Secondary Certificate exam, 62% pass – a significantly higher level than the national average. No school level data on JSC pass rates was available to analyze this result.

% of learners # of schools

Less than 50% 5

50-60% 11

60-70% 34

70-80% 57

80-90% 51

90-100% 19

Number of schools by % of 7th graders who scored basic and above in SAT

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Regional Education Profile for OshanaSummary statistics

Oshana National








% Female 66% 59%

% Qualified 82% 80%

Learners (EMIS, 2012) 53,616 623,116



Primary 95/142 91/133






In 2012, Oshana region had 135 schools with 2,137 teachers. There were 53,616 learners of whom 51% were girls. The majority of learners were in primary schools – 29,892. There were 12,447 learners in junior secondary; and 4,863 in senior secondary. The grade pyramid shows the number of learners by sex in each grade. In primary, there was an even distribution of total learners by gender, but by secondary, there is a preponderance of girls, particularly in grades 11 and 12. There is a high level of bulging at grade 8 due to high repetition (35%). The shape of Oshana’s learner pyramid is unusual, with a relatively narrow base (meaning relatively fewer learners in grade 1, and 3). It may be related to a relatively low fertility level (3 children per woman, compared to a national average of 3.6) .

Bottlenecks in primary education. Bottlenecks in junior secondary.High-risk bottlenecks: Learning outcomes, learning materials

High-risk bottlenecks: transition to secondary, dropout, and learning outcomes

The chart shows seven measures for primary school, each of which can be a significant bottleneck, for Oshana and for Namibia overall. The chart contains four important input measures: materials (books), qualified teachers, crowding in classroom and schools within walking distance. It also shows three salient outcome measures relating to entry, completion and learning: the % of children who enter primary school before age 10; the % of children who complete primary; and how many learners have achieved the desired learning levels.

At the primary level, there appear to be few bottlenecks in Oshana, except for textbook ownership and learning outcomes. The graph shows that the average ownership of math and reading textbooks is 33% of learners (SACMEQ, 2007). The low textbook ownership contrasts to the relatively high average number of textbooks per learner (5.0) and may be the result of unequal distribution. (EMIS, 2012) data show 78% of primary school teachers are qualified, about equal to the national average. There is relatively less crowding in schools than in the country overall – 93% of the schools had fewer than 30 learners per teachers. Almost all children (98%) are within 10km of a primary or combined school (NHIES dataset, 2010).

Perhaps related school proximity, Oshana is one of six regions where almost all (96%) of children ever attend primary school by age 10 (DHS, 2010) – even among poor children, the vast majority ever attended primary school, and most of them complete. Overall, 86% of the 17 year-olds had completed primary school, far above the national average of 78%. The chart shows 81% percent of learners in grade 7 had at least basic mastery of English, Math and Science (SAT, 2012).


Teachers are not a bottleneck – 94% are qualified. Secondary schools are accessible for almost all – 97% of children age 10-18 live within 10 km of a secondary or combined school.

Despite school proximity, only 77% of children in Oshana ever attend lower secondary and only 52% of children completed lower secondary. These poor outcomes for lower secondary are correlated to inequity by income. The figure to the right shows that among children in households in the bottom 60% of incomes in Oshana, only 66% ever attended secondary school, compared to 90% of children from the top 40% of incomes. The inequity by income is even greater for secondary school completion. Only 28% of children from the poorer 60% of households complete lower secondary, compared to 61% of learners in the top 40% of income levels.

Among learners who sit the Junior Secondary Certificate Exam in grade 10, only 50% pass (equal to the national average, NBEA). There is a high degree difference in pass rates, like in other regions. Of the 62 schools in Oshana where the JSC was administered, there were just 2 excellent schools with pass rates above 90% - Charles Anderson Combined School (100%) and Gabriel Taapopi Senior Secondary School (92%), both public, urban schools. Particular to both of these schools are very low repetition rates (although in general, repetition rates are not a reliable indicator of learning quality).

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Regional Education Profile for OshikotoSummary statistics

Oshikoto National








% Female 56% 59%

% Qualified 83% 80%

Learners (EMIS, 2012) 61,032 623,116



Primary 95/142 91/133






In 2012, Oshikoto region had 196 schools with 2,407 teachers. There were 61,032 learners and 50% of all learners were girls. Girls are disproportionally represented in secondary school (54%). The majority of learners were in primary school – 36,986 In addition, there were 14,173 learners in Junior Secondary; and 4,197 in Senior Secondary. The grade pyramid shows the number of learners by sex in each grade. Like in neighboring Oshana, there is a big overhang of 8th graders. There is considerable bulging at grades 5 and 8, corresponding to high repetition rates (27% and 33% respectively).

Bottlenecks in primary education. Bottlenecks in junior secondary.High-risk bottlenecks: dropout rates High-risk bottlenecks: Junior secondary school

entry and completion

The chart shows seven measures for primary school, each of which can be a significant bottleneck, for Oshikoto and for Namibia overall. The chart contains four important input measures: materials (books), qualified teachers, crowding in classroom and schools within walking distance. It also shows three salient outcome measures relating to entry, completion and learning: the % of children who enter primary school before age 10; the % of children who complete primary; and how many learners have achieved the desired learning levels.

The bottleneck chart compares primary schooling in Oshikoto to the country as a whole. The bottom of the graph displays the coverage rates of fundamental school inputs: books and writing materials, certified teachers and school proximity. The graph shows that the average ownership of math and reading textbooks is 26% of learners (SACMEQ, 2007). (EMIS, 2012) data show that the level of qualified teachers (having completed grade 12 or more) average in Oshikoto – 81% compared to a national average of 79%. Crowding in schools is average – 16% of schools have more than 30 learners per teachers. Almost all households are within 10km of a primary or combined school (NHIES, 2009/10); and, like in neighboring Oshana, almost all children in Oshikoto (97%) had entered school by age 10 (DHS, 2006/07). Drop out is high; 32% of 17 year-olds had not completed primary (DHS, 2006/07). Among 17 year-olds from the poorest 20% of households, only 52% had reached the end of primary; compared to 95% of 17 year-olds from the richest 20% (DHS, 2006/07).

Learning levels are about average in the Oshikoto region: an average of 76% scored basic or higher in English, Math, and Science. However, Oshikoto lags behind the national average for high-achieving learners. Only 6% of learners had above basic or excellent (AB/E) in English compared to 14% nationwide; in Math, 17% scored AB/E compared to 23% nationwide; in Science the numbers were 10% in Oshikoto vs. 14% nationwide.


Teachers are not a bottleneck – 95% are qualified. Schools accessibility is equal to the national average – 88% of children age 10-18 live within 10 km of a secondary or combined school.

A bigger barrier to secondary school in Oshikoto is income. Only 57% of 17 year olds in Oshikoto had ever attended junior secondary (DHS, 2006/07), and the disparity by income is large. Among children from poor households (poorest 20%), only 44% entered junior secondary, compared to 94% of children from the wealthiest 20% of households (DHS, 2006/07). Only half of those who enter junior secondary reached grade 10 with (DHS, 2006/07). Among the poorer children (bottom 40% of incomes), 10% completed junior secondary; while 64% of the wealthiest (top 20%) children did.

Of the learners in Grade 10 who sit the Junior Secondary Certificate exam, 62% pass (EMIS, 2012). This is significantly higher than the average for the country, and is matched only by Omusati. Unfortunately, no school-level exam results are available.

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Regional Education Profile for OtjozondjupaSummary statistics

Otjozondjupa National








% Female 61% 59%

% Qualified 77% 80%

Learner s(EMIS, 2012) 35,921 623,116



Primary 82/115 91/133






In 2012, Otjozundjupa region had a total of 35,921 learners of whom a little over half (52%) were girls. The majority of learners were in primary schools – 24,757. In addition, there were 7,085 learners in junior secondary; and 1,408 in senior secondary. The grade pyramid to the left shows the number of learners by sex in each grade. There is some bulging at grades 1, 5 and 8 caused by high repetition in those grades. Repetition rates in Otjozundjupa are relatively low. The highest rates are in Grades 1 , 5, 8, and 9 (18%, 20%, 27% and 20% respectively);There is a gradual tapering of the pyramid from grades 1-7 partly due to drop out rates.

Bottlenecks in primary education. Bottlenecks in junior secondary.High-risk bottlenecks: Books and materials, crowding in schools, distance to school, dropout, learning

High-risk bottlenecks: entry of poor children, dropout, learning outcomes

The chart shows seven measures for primary school, each of which can be a significant bottleneck, for Otjozundjupa and for Namibia overall. The chart contains four important input measures: materials (books), qualified teachers, crowding in classroom and schools within walking distance. It also shows three salient outcome measures relating to entry, completion and learning: the % of children who enter primary school before age 10; the % of children who complete primary; and how many learners have achieved the desired learning levels.

The graph at left shows that on average, only 31% of students have a dictionary, math and English textbooks (SACMEQ). This is far too few. (EMIS, 2012) data show that the level of qualified teachers (having completed grade 12 or more) is average in Otjozundjupa – 79%, same as the national average. Notable is that Otjozundjupa has more crowding in schools than any other region – half of the schools have more than 30 learners per teachers. Moreover, only 81% of school-age children (age 7-18) are within 10 km of a primary or combined school - compared to 96% in the country as a whole (NHIES dataset, 2009).

91% of children in Otjozundjupa had ever attended primary by the age of 10 (DHS, 2006/07) dataset, 2006. This is below the national average of 96%. The low ever attending rates in Otjozundjupa are related to long distances to school – among children for whom primary or combined school is more than 10 km away, 19% never go to school at all, compared to only 2% if a school is within 10 km. Only 69% of 17 year-olds in Otjozundjupa completed primary, compared to 78% in the country overall. School dropout is correlated to income. Among children in poorer households (lowest 40% of incomes), 54% of those who entered primary dropped out before completing; compared to 18% of children in better-off families (top 60% incomes).

Among learners in grade 7, an average of 77% scored basic or higher in Science, Math and English in NSAT (2010). The NSAT scores place Otjozundjupa 4th out of the 13 regions. While these learning outcomes outpace other most regions, they still lag desired goals.

five potential bottlenecks for secondary, similar to the chart for primary: teachers and distance to school; entry, completion and learning.


A greater barrier to secondary school in Otjozundjupa may be income rather than distance. Only 64% of children in Otjozundjupa enter lower secondary, and the disparity by income is large. Among children from poor households (poorest 40%), only 36% entered junior secondary, compared to 89% of children from the wealthiest 20% of households (DHS, 2006/07). Only half of those who entered junior secondary reached grade 10 with high dropouts among children at all income levels, mostly in grade 9 (DHS, 2006/07).

Of the learners in Grade 10 who sit the Junior Secondary Certificate exam, only 48% pass (about equal to the national average, NBEA, 2013). The difference in learning quality between schools is very high. Among the top 20% of schools (4 schools in Otjozundjupa), 86% of the candidates passed the Junior secondary exam, compared to only 25% passing in the lowest performing schools (NBEA). Any solution to low learning rates needs to address these under-performing schools.

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Appendix on data sources

Indicator Data source and computation% of school-age children in poor households (NHIES, 2009)

Definition for poverty following NHIES 2009/10 estimate. The % of children age 7-18 in poverty is obtained from a merged the NHIES household and individual datasets, and extracting the % of children age 7-1 who live in poor households. The percentage of children in poverty is higher than the percentage of poor households because poor households tend to be larger than non-poor and have more children. The percentage of children in poor households according to NHIES is higher than with the wealth measure used by (DHS, 2006/07) (see below).

% of school-age children in household wealth quintiles

Another approximate value for wealth distribution in Namibia is the wealth index in the (DHS, 2006/07) household survey. The wealth index is a weighted average of household goods. Overall, there is a reasonable correspondence between the NHIES poverty rate and (DHS, 2006/07) % of children in poor households even though the (DHS, 2006/07) wealth index differs somewhat from the income distribution used by NHIES. The NHIES income distribution is per capita-based; whereas the (DHS, 2006/07) wealth index is based on household goods. To see the difference in method imagine two households with the same income. One has 2 and the other has 6 members. According to the NHIES, the 6-member household will be counted as much poorer than the small one. If on the other hand, those households each have the same amount of material goods (cars, refrigerator, number of rooms in house etc.), they can fall into the same quintile according to the (DHS, 2006/07) method.

Average math and English textbook ownership

Computed from the SACMEQ 2007 micro dataset provided by SACMEQ at special request. Textbook ownership is defined as being the sole user of the textbook. SACMEQ counts the number of learners, who have sole use of a math, and of an English textbook. We have taken the average of those two numbers to compute average math and English textbook ownership.

Average textbooks per learner EMIS, 2012 data. Computed as: the total number of textbooks issued to schools divided by the total number of learners (including preschool and grades 1-12)

Grade 7 SAT scores School-level 2012 SAT scores for English, Math, and Science provided by the NBEA to EMIS, 2012.

Junior Secondary Certificate exam pass rates

Learner-level exam results downloaded from the NBEA websitehttp://www.moe.gov.na/m_dir_viewdirectorate.php?type=page&pageid=33&id=13&pagetitle=Results. The learner-level results were aggregated to the school-level and entered into the Namibia Profile Builder (by the author). These are used to present the school-level and regional JSC exam results.

Junior secondary certificate exam Top 20% of schools, second 20% of schools etcetera.

Schools in each region are arranged by pass rates and then aggregated into five groups, each with an equal number of schools (approximately). The average pass rate for each group is computed.

Learner teacher ratios primary and secondary ((EMIS, 2012))

Computed from EMIS, 2012 data.

Learners by grade and sex EMIS, 2012 data.

Number of schools ((EMIS, 2012), 2011)

EMIS, 2012 data.

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Number of schools with less than 3 textbooks per learners

EMIS, 2012 data. For each school, average number of textbooks per learner is computed as number of textbooks issued divided by number of learners. The schools with fewer than 3 textbooks are counted and the number divided by the total number of schools.

Percent of children who completed junior secondary school

Computed from the (DHS, 2006/07) dataset, using the survey weights for population. For national level counts, the age-group 22-25 is taken as the reference population (junior secondary completion was found to continue up to age 22). The percent completing secondary is the percentage of 22-25 year-olds in the datasets who have attained grade 10 or higher. For the regional percentages, by income level, or by distance to school, the reference population is 22-25, but, to obtain larger sample sizes income quintiles are sometimes grouped together.

Percent of children who completed primary school

Computed from the (DHS, 2006/07) dataset, using the survey weights for population. For national level counts, the age-group 17-19 is taken as the reference population (primary completion was found to continue up to age 17). The percent completing primary school is the percentage of 17-19 year-olds in the datasets who have attained grade 7 or higher. For the regional percentages, by income level, or by distance to school, the reference population is 17-22, to obtain sample sizes that are large enough for a reasonable statistical reliability.

Percent of children who ever attended primary school

Computed from the NHIES and the (DHS, 2006/07) datasets, using the survey weights for population. In both cases, for national level counts, the age-group 10-12 is taken as the reference population (school entry is practically nil after age 10). The percent ever attended school is the percentage of 10-12 year-olds in the datasets who have gone to school. For the regional percentages, by income level, or by distance to school, the reference population is 10-18, to obtain sample sizes that are large enough for a reasonable statistical reliability.

Percent of children who ever attended secondary school

Computed from the NHIES and (DHS, 2006/07) dataset, using the survey weights for population. In both cases, for national level counts, the age-group 17-19 is taken as the reference population (secondary school entry was found to continue up to age 17). The percent who ever attended secondary is the percentage of 17-19 year-olds in the datasets who have attained grade 8 or higher. For the regional percentages, by income level, or by distance to school, the reference population is 17-22, to obtain sample sizes that are large enough for a reasonable statistical reliability.

Percent of school age children within 10 km from primary or combined school

Computed from NHIES, using survey weights for population. NHIES counts distance to primary schools and combined schools separately. Our computation includes distance to either a primary OR a combined school (as both have primary grades). Only the school-age population 7-18 is included in the computation.

Percent of school age children within 10 km from secondary or combined school

Computed from NHIES, using survey weights for population. NHIES counts distance to secondary schools and combined schools separately. Our computation includes distance from either a secondary OR a combined school (as both have secondary grades). Only the school-age population 7-18 is included in the computation.

Population (Census, 2011) Obtained from the online preliminary census reporthttp://www.gov.na/documents/10180/34849/2011_Preliminary_Result.pdf/0ea026d4-9687-4851-a693-1b97a1317c60

Primary and secondary NAR/GAR ((DHS, 2006/07), 2006/07)

Attendance rates taken from the (DHS, 2006/07) Namibia report.

Repeaters by grade and sex EMIS, 2012 data.

School-age population, 7-18 % of population age 7-18 extracted from NHIES 2009/10 and multiplied by Census 2011 data. NHIES micro datases downloaded from http://www.nsa.org.na/dataset/

Teachers (EMIS, 2012) EMIS, 2012 data.

Teachers female EMIS, 2012 data.

Teachers primary (approximate) EMIS, 2012 data.

Teachers qualified EMIS, 2012 data.

Teachers secondary (approximate)

EMIS, 2012 data.

Regional Education Analysis for Namibia - UNICEF · 2 3 Summary statistics In 2011 according to the...

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