ONGWEDIVA: Selected researchers, academics, teacher educators, teachers, students and other stakeholders gathered at the Hifikepunye Pohamba (HP) Campus of the University of Namibia (Unam) here on Monday for that university’s first Annual Education Conference.

The main objective of the three-day conference is to bring stakeholders together to discuss and share knowledge regarding various issues pertaining to the improvement of the quality of teaching and learning in Namibia.

The conference is viewed as a platform to create a strong network of academic and research work, and is expected to take place on an annual basis at one of the five campuses under the Unam Faculty of Education.

A media statement issued during the conference by one of the organisers, Meameno Nehemia, indicated that the Unam Annual Education Conference is an educational event, which was initiated by the HP Campus’s Research and Publications Committee this year.

A total of 32 presentations, of which five are plenary, as well as three workshops are expected during the conference.

The Dean of the Unam Faculty of Education, Dr Charmaine Villet launched the conference on behalf of the university’s Pro-Vice Chancellor of Research and Academic Affairs Professor Osmund Mwandemele.

Villet noted that exclusion from education is an exclusion from socio-economic opportunities, and encouraged academics to work hard towards the provision of quality teaching and learning in Namibia.

She pointed out that Namibia recorded improvement in her education reform since 1993.

According to Villet, Namibia currently has 10 per cent unqualified and under-qualified teachers, while it has 90 per cent teachers with Grade 12 plus a three-year teaching qualification.

The theme of the conference is ‘Striving for Quality Education: A Call to all Stakeholders’.

The launch of the conference was also attended by political analyst Professor Joseph Diescho, Oshana regional councillor for the Ongwediva Constituency Vinia Abisai, and Ongwediva mayor Jason Asino.