ADEA and the Government of Namibia publish the national evaluation report on effectiveness of implementation of the school attendance policy

Published on Thursday, 12 December 2019
The evaluation team during a field visit to Gobabis Primary School in Namibia (Aug. 2019). Photo credit: ADEA

Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire), 12th December  2019 – The Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) and the Government of the Republic of Namibia through the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture (MoEAC) successfully carried out and published the evaluation report on effectiveness of implementation of the school attendance policy in Namibia. The evaluation study, led by Prof. Hellen Inyega, ADEA Resource Person, assessed efficiency, effectiveness, relevance, replicability and sustainability of the pilot project on innovations for monitoring teacher and learner attendance in the country. 

The 2017/18 pilot project implemented the school attendance reporting module of an existing ICT-based school management system, named School-Link, in 103 schools across Namibia including a mobile school with over 3,000 students. The project’s main objectives were to improve monitoring and evaluation at school level, establish the correlation between school attendance and learning outcomes, provide recommendations for improvement of the school attendance policy in the country, and contribute to the development of a typical model including a set of variables and factors that influence an effective school attendance data management system, replicable in other countries.

Key evaluation findings indicate that:

  1. The school attendance project design and objectives were of quality and remain relevant. The project resonated well with key education frameworks such as: a) Namibian Education Development Strategy; b) Continental Education Strategy for Africa 2016-2025 (CESA 16-25); c) 2030 Agenda and in particular the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4; and d) Africa’s Agenda 2063.
  2. Project planning was efficient with minor institutional constraints and delays in the early stages of implementation.
  3. Sixty-seven (67) per cent of the pilot schools implemented the school attendance policy; with all participants in the evaluation affirming their awareness of the project, its objectives, intended benefits and beneficiaries.
  4. The project had a positive potential impact. About sixty (60) percent of the pilot schools interviewed reported a reduction in learner absenteeism and an increase in contact hours for teaching through improved learner and teacher attendance.
  5. Implementation of the pilot project in Namibia is likely sustainable, more so from institutional, recurrent costs and cost-benefits standpoints. The MoEAC has made the initiative a high priority with full political good will and budgetary support. Teacher capacity building activities have been firmly embedded within the annual work plan of MoEAC’s ICT Division and its core mandate with schools across Namibia.

The evaluation report decoded the entire project processes, starting from the inception, project preparation, project implementation arrangements, project activities, all the way up to project sustainability and replicability. It demonstrated the correlation between school absenteeism and learning outcomes, and proffered recommendations for capacity development, sensitization and improvement of school attendance policy in Namibia.

Also noteworthy are several lessons learned from the Namibia school attendance policy pilot project as reflected in the report and the proposed project replication model, which are intended to guide scale-up of the project in Namibian schools and the design of future programmes and replication of the initiative in other countries.

The full report is available here for download.

For more information, please contact:

  • Makha Ndao, Coordinator, ADEA-Task Force on Education Management and Policy Support (ADEA-TFEMPS),E: m.ndao@afdb.org, T: (+263) 24.27.75.776
  • Andreas Nangolo Shigwedhah, Senior Education Officer, Directorate of Planning and Development (PAD), Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture – Namibia, E: andreasshigwedha@gmail.com, T: (+264) 81.24.55.363
  • Simbarashe Dzinoreva, Program Assistant, ADEA-Task Force on Education Management and Policy Support (ADEA-TFEMPS),E: s.dzinoreva@adeanet.org T: (+263) 77.50.11.938

For media inquiries, please contact:

  • Stefano De Cupis, Senior Communication Officer, ADEA, E: s.decupis@afdb.org, T: (+225) 20.26.4261 

About ADEA:

The Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) is the voice of education in Africa and a key network of Education Ministries. Since 1988, it plays a significant role in the education space as a convener, knowledge creator and forum for policy dialogue, working through its Inter-Country Quality Nodes (ICQNs) and the Task Force on Education Management and Policy Support. ADEA contributes to the empowerment of African countries to develop quality education and training systems that respond to the countries' emergent needs and drive social and economic transformation sustainably.

www.adeanet.org