Improving the quality of Education at Rural Schools in Namibia

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume IV, Issue II, February 2020 | ISSN 2454–6186

Improving the quality of Education at Rural Schools in Namibia

Elock Emvula Shikalepo
Namibia University of Science and Technology, Namibia

Abstract: – Schools in rural areas are faced by diverse challenges with the potential to negatively affect successful teaching and learning. This requires appropriate interventions to improve school performance in spite of the rural-based challenges. The purpose of this study was to explain the measures whose implementation can yield improved learner performance and general quality of education at rural schools, with the aim of sustaining good rural school performance in standardised examinations.Case study design was used, which sampled teachers and education officials. Data was collected by means of a literature study, individual and focus group interviews. The data was analysed thematically.
The findings revealed that education at rural schools can be improved by ensuring a conducive working environment, that is fully and well-resourced with all the teaching and learning essentials. The financial incentive that was being given to teachers need an increment, to be realistic and outweigh the challenges teachers were facing, alongside justifiable categorisation of schools according to which payment amount were made. In addition, rural schools need sufficient budget allocation to contain their operational and development expenses. An increase in budgetary allocation will also make resources available for vocational education curriculum as not all learners are academically gifted. Moreover, rural schools should capitalise on the advantages of school cluster system and share resources for improved school performance. Successful consideration and implementation of these measures are recommended as being helpful to rural schools in pursuit of good academic performance, in a sustainable fashion.

Keywords: Financial incentive, rural schools, school cluster system, quality of education, vocational education.

I. THE BACKGROUND

The increasing spending on education over eons and the relatively low achievements by rural schools has led education policy makers to increasingly consider reforms for improving the effectiveness of public spending on education (Litheko,2012; Kobakhidze 2010).Among a number of reforms that have been considered, the idea of introducing a financial incentive for teachers has received favourable attention by education stakeholders worldwide (Emiliana & Ilana, 2005; Mulkeen & Chen, 2008; Roland, 2011). This idea was believed to bring about much needed educational improvement at rural schools as a result of teacher motivation. However, the extremes of living and working in rural areas are quite intense, beyond a mere monetary intervention as motivation.

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