Outjo Secondary School’s astonishing 2022 academic attainments earned them the best accolades on Friday during the regional annual award ceremony held at Putuavanga Secondary School at Opuwo.
The event was held under the theme ‘Revival of Hard Work towards Improving 2023 Academic Performance’.
Outjo SS took home 90 per cent of the honours after receiving both the Namibia Senior Secondary Certificate (NSSCO) and the National Senior Secondary Certificate Advanced Subsidiary (NSSCAS) levels of awards.
Annalise Januarie and Nuleipo Indileni received gold medals in the two categories. Indileni, however, shared the gold prize with fellow Outjo scholar Karipata Mukuaruuze and Maveja Mukuaruuze from Putuavanga Secondary School.
The top performers in both categories received N.dollars 3 500 in prize money from Outjo’s OK Grocer.
Leticia Sakaria of Outjo SS received the best overall teacher award for the 2022 academic year. Outjo SS was also awarded the most improved and best-performing school awards respectively.
Other top-performing schools were Kamanjab Combined School and Putuavanga Secondary School, which took second and third positions respectively, while Mureti High School and Welwitschia Junior Secondary School received bronze and silver for the most improved category, respectively.
The principal of the year award, which was awarded to Richard Tjazapi of Putuavanga SC last year, was presented to Sadrag Zauana of Ehomba Combined School this year.
The occasion was attended by Dr Roswitha Mahalie, Head of Department of the Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST), who complimented the region’s overall performance of last year.
During the event, Mahalie urged for a unified effort to achieve the region’s aim of educational prosperity.
She also encouraged all parties to work together to improve education and alleviate poverty in society.
Similarly, Mahalie encouraged the students to study and be responsible adults for their own futures.
“As students, you should adapt to your current learning environment and methods because no one will push you to study at universities as opposed to schools where you are monitored on a daily basis,” Mahalie continued.
Angelina Jantze, Kunene’s education director, emphasised the importance of education, stating that tutoring is the foundation of prosperity and development.
Jantze also encouraged the award recipients to cultivate a bright future full of limitless possibilities.
“Today, we celebrate your accomplishments. But tomorrow, we will turn to you to construct a more compassionate, inventive, and just world,” Jantze remarked.
In an onsite interview with Nampa, Ehomba CS’s Zauana who scooped the principal category underscored the imperativeness of awarding top performers as a way of encouraging not just learners but teachers as well to be dedicated and hard-working servants towards achieving the education directorate ambitions.
Zauana who is nearing retirement stated that he will cherish the award forever, for he is reminded of the good work that he carried over the years as both a teacher and now principal.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency