clear-cut standards or cut-off points which enable an administrator to say with precision that a teacher is incompetent. This ambiguity poses a serious problem for principals, because the burden of proof falls on them to demonstrate that a teacher is incompetent (Rosenberger & Plimpton in Bridges, 1986: 4).
Incompetence appears to mean persistent failure in one or more of the following respects: failure to maintain discipline; failure to impart subject matter effectively;
failure to demonstrate mastery of the subject matter being taught; failure to produce the intended or desired results in the classroom; and failure to treat learners properly (Bridges, 1986: 5). This seems to be a relevant description of the status of the majority of teachers in Namibia. The number of learners who are being taught by such teachers is substantial. If we assume that sixty-four percent of the teachers in public primary and secondary schools are incompetent (Meyer 1998: 106), the number of learners who are being taught by these teachers exceeds the total combined in public school enrolments of thirteen regions. The large number of learners who are being disadvantaged each year by incompetent teachers underscores the importance and the seriousness of this problem. Not surprisingly, parents are unhappy about the presence of such educators in the teaching profession (Bridges, 1986: 2). For fourteen consecutive years, parents have expressed their reservations about the quality of teaching in public schools. On one occasion nearly half of the public schools' parents indicated that there were teachers in the local schools who should be fired. The most frequently cited reason for this drastic action was incompetence (Meyer 1998: 106).
Recently, parents in regions with declining performance have begun to question lay-off policies (if there is any such policy in place), which ignores the problem of teacher incompetence. Meanwhile, incompetent teachers are left to teach the future Namibian generation, which means that schools are left with mediocre teachers who appear to have precious little creative inspiration for teaching and very little interest in children.
As a result, this will severely hamper the delivery of quality and better education.
I do not mean to paint all teachers with the same brush. There are many excellent teachers in the public schools in all the regions. Learners and parents are not the only ones who are being disadvantaged by incompetent teachers. These poor performers tarnish the image of those Namibian teachers who are competent and conscientious professionals. It is for this reason that these teachers cast a dark shadow on the
hundreds of competent teachers who are overworked and underappreciated for their efforts and accomplishments. More crucially, the poor performance of educators is contributing to the poor academic performance of learners. The learners who have been taught by these educators may also create difficulties for subsequent teachers, if the learners have not mastered the concepts, skills and material to which they have been exposed. In addition, incompetent teachers may become a source of frustration for their colleagues, if they have worked together as members of a teaching team. Any of these problems may prompt other teachers to complain.
Educating teachers is thus of critical importance to the nation. Indeed, the government spends about thirty percent of its budget on education, including the training of teachers (MEC, 1993: ii). As result of its efforts since independence, the government has made commendable progress, particularly with regard to improving access to primary education, achieving an enrolment rate of close to ninety percent. However, the sheer numbers involved, coupled with the disparities of the past, mean that there are still enormous challenges, particularly as regards the quality of educational output.
This is a matter of serious concern, not only to the public but also the private sector. If Namibia is to achieve the goals articulated in its vision for 2030, against the background of globalisation, then the development of human resources for increased productivity and the growth of enterprise will be critical. In addition, the process of continually up-grading skills ensures sustained improvements in productivity in all sectors. The question is whether the education system currently in place can produce a school leaver who is both educated and educatable to meet these challenges, if the status of the teaching profession in Namibia is so inadequate.
The indications are that the education system's capacity to produce such an effective school leaver is severely constrained. There is growing unemployment among school leavers - among those who complete their secondary school education and those who complete their tertiary education, as well as those who leave before completing.
Paradoxically, there are shortages of skills in certain areas of the Namibian economy.
Hoveka (2002: 1) argues that in Namibia there is an indication that school leavers' skills are poorly matched to the job market at the time; opportunities for school leavers to gain the skills required by the market are limited by the lack of tertiary and vocational training opportunities as well as inadequacies in their school backgrounds
to enable them to gain these skills. The implication is that at least one quarter of school leavers automatically join the ranks of the unemployed. This is not only a waste of human resources, but also a potential social time bomb (Hoveka, 2002: 3).
There is a tendency in Namibian institutions, including schools and higher education institutions, to producing job seekers instead of job creators. Namibians in general are excellent at identifying problems. I agree with the MEC (1993: 19) when it states that
"as we become better at identifying and solving problems, we also become better at creating jobs and increasing our income". It is my view that as long as education is in its current condition, the prevailing inequalities in access to education are not likely to be eliminated.
Moreover, cognitive achievement among Namibian learners is low by world standards and there has recently been some suggestion of a further decline. In the few studies that have been conducted, academic achievement in Namibia has been found to be sufficiently poor to be a cause for serious concern. Addressing these issues of stagnation in the profession and its low quality will require additional resources.
Equally important, it requires profound changes in educational policy for Namibia.
Indeed, for Namibia as a developing country, the first will not be obtainable without the second. The Namibian education system has put more emphasis on the production of qualified teachers, but there are many contradictions in the objectives in this context. For instance, while the endeavour to fulfil the nation's manpower requirements continues, the very system employed to do so send thousands of learners into the cold, making them redundant and superfluous in the production system. The educational system has not produced high-level competent educators in the field of English, science and technology. To a large extent Namibia is still dependent on outside assistance in these fields (MEC, 1993: 75). In spite of the BETD programme being geared to produce large numbers of competent educators, there is a chronic shortage of educators, which is worse in the field of the sciences.
I argue that the training for teachers is usually insufficient and ad hoc. The point I am making is that an awareness of good teaching and learning is not sufficient. This causes great wasted potential in the system. Welch (in Waghid, 2002: 21) posits that teacher education programmes should be structured in ways that assist prospective teachers to grasp the disciplinary bases of content knowledge, methodology, and