Govt bars learners without national documents from year-end exams

Learners without national documents - who are thought to be in their thousands across the country - will not be allowed to sit for the Namibia Senior Secondary Certificate Ordinary Level (NSSCO) grade 11 and Advanced Subsidiary (AS) level grade 12 examinations in November, the education ministry has directed.

Executive director Sanet Steekamp issued a directive last month addressed to all directors of education, chief education officers, regional examination officials, principals of schools, heads of centres for part-time candidates and Namibia College Of Open Learning (Namcol) managers that it is compulsory for all full and part-time candidates who are participating in any national examination to show proof of their identity before being allowed to enter the exam venue.

At Ekundu Combined School in the Omusati Region’s Okalongo constituency, about 10 learners - who have been sent from pillar to post in their application for national identity documents (IDs) - are affected by the directive. The learners’ parents have accused the government of relying on ‘village rumours’ to deny their children birth certificates. The children did their entire schooling in Namibia.

“Our children have worked hard to reach grade 11, but now they don’t know whether to continue studying or not. We have a government that is hell-bent on destroying the futures of these children by ignoring its own inefficiencies in issuing national IDs to its own citizens,” a parent told Namibian Sun yesterday.

Okalongo constituency councillor Laurentius Iipinge said his office is working around the clock to ensure that the affected learners at Ekundu sit for the exams. He said he has already informed the school’s principal that his office will do whatever it takes to get the learners the necessary documents.

Namibian Sun has been informed that learners in Ohangwena and the Kavango regions are experiencing the same problem.



Fear of impersonation

Steenkamp told Namibian Sun that the ministry is not out to harm children’s futures.

In the circular, she said the candidates must be in possession of their admission permits that were issued by the directorate of national examinations and assessment, and they must show proof of their identity.

“Due to an increase in the number of cases of impersonation by candidates in the past, it is compulsory for the candidates to have IDs to be allowed into the examination hall/room,” Steenkamp said.

She added that the documents that will be accepted are original national ID cards, valid original passports, valid original driving licences, original voter cards and learner cards, which will be issued by schools to full-time candidates. Steenkamp noted that the cards will only be accepted if it shows the name, date of birth or identity number and a recent photograph of the candidate.

“Private part-time institutions should ensure that their candidates have these identification documents,” she said.



Special circumstances

The executive director said the following cases can be allowed in special circumstances: Full-time candidates who are not in possession of the above-mentioned documents but can show proof that they have applied for an ID, but have not yet received it.

Candidates who are not yet 16 must be checked against their date of birth on their admission permit, while full-time candidates whose IDs are lost or have been destroyed and who can show proof that they have recently applied for a new one will be allowed to sit for the exams.



‘Lengthy and tedious’ process

A frustrated guardian who spoke to Namibian Sun on condition of anonymity - out of fear of their ward being victimised - said the child has been attending school in the region from pre-primary until grade 11.

They said although they began the application process for national documents years ago, they only managed to submit all the required documents last year as both of the child’s parents live in Angola.

National documents are difficult to acquire because the process is “lengthy and tedious”, they said.

“And even after complying, they will still tell you that the child is not Namibian and should go find their true identity. Some children are born to Namibian mothers and Angolan fathers and vice versa. So this is an extremely difficult process to follow through.”

According to the guardian, the child was born at home in a village in the Omusati Region to a Namibian father and Angolan mother who later left for Angola with the child, who had not been baptised.

Years later, the child was returned to her Namibian family and started school. The man said both parents now live in Angola and it has been difficult to get them to Namibia to help with the application process.

“We went to home affairs in Outapi and they asked for documents of where the child schooled from grade one. Also provided was a letter from the headman confirming that the child was born in his village, as well as a copy of the mother’s Angolan birth certificate, which had to be translated. We also provided copies of the father’s Namibian ID and his declaration. The ID copy of the person who assisted the mother to give birth at home was also provided. After all this, they are still telling us the child is not Namibian.”

In April, home affairs ministry executive director Etienne Maritz issued a directive that people should not be turned away when they apply for citizenship and that they should be attended to and their applications thoroughly studied for an informed verdict.