story book 2 read this summer

It is with good reasons that one day i went to a book shop 2 read some titrle of available story books so that when i have enough money i can buy it . i then came acrross one very excitingn story book titled THE JOURNEY TO THE RIVER SEA by EVA IBBITSON and it is a hit. it is a runner-up fffor the whitbread children's book of the year and the guardian fiction awards winner it has also won the smarties book prize gold award. 2 find out more please grab u'r self a coppie it is cheap than u are expecting . UK 4.99 pounds and in CAN $9.99 . so go on and get it u will never regret buying it.

Pam Northrip thrilled Mweshy

BY :THADDEUS SHIGWEDHA(unam)
It was the first monday of the second school semester at Mweshipandeka high school when i felt like not attending the mornig assembly because the heademaster ius always on about the grade 12's misbehaiviuors
i sat at the scholl cafe drikning a hot cup of coffe ( too bad they don't sell cuponchinoes ,i would have loved some).i sundenly felt my inner feelings geting guilty for not being at the morning asembly so i decide to move to the hall for the gathering tyhanks to the inner feeling and to the fact that i recently prayed to GOd so that i can pass this semester or else i could not have been at that long assembly.

On the stage sat a middle- aged American lady who was new in my mind . i though she was goiung to be the new science tearcher as we lack some 2 science tearchcers. sundenly the music composer at the morning assembly started to pound the ground with some country music by billy joel ( river of dreams to be specific)as the headmaster anounces the new staff member that she was mrs Pam Northrip ans that she was a new computer lab technician and a temporary english teacher.
the assembly was over and i reached to the door and then to my english class.Luckily she was also assigned to our english teacher so she was in our class we started introducing ourselves and she also introduced herself she told us a lot about ammerica and the story of a monkey which stole their breads while they were braing outside windhoek.apart from beinxg a good teacher she also perfomed verry well in managing the computer lab and almost every learner got aq chance to use the computer lab while she was there . however Pam was with another mission of conduicting researches on which she was building her thesis on but this has not affected her work as a teacher or as a lab technician.diring her time at mweshipandeka she helped a lot of people who cannot support themselves more ewspecialy the orphans .Pam northrip will be missed by al the staff members and stuidents who didnot have axcces to the computer lab after she left for her thesis biding in juneua alaska america. the only question left is : was she conducting a qualitative or quantitative research and is she still willing to come back to namibia to conduct her researches as she works towards being called a proffessor?
*thaddeus shigwedha the author of the article was a student at mweshipandeka and now he is studying marine biology at the university of namibia.

Science Fair

The Mweshipandeka Science Fair was a great event to display the science abilities at the school. Every part of the hall was filled for the exhibits 27 and 28 of July. Lots of imagination was evident. It was lots of fun. A number of students had investigated issues and others constructed things. Students set off in quest of adventure quite the contrary with those who use fullbrakes to their innate curiosity. (Tertu Haufiku & Paulina Shipahu)

Interview With Mr. Fujirua

Principal interview

1. What ideas or hopes do you have for the coming 10 years for Mweshipandeka?

I hope that within ten (10) years from now this school will become one of the top schools in the country. I hope that in five (5) to ten (10) years our HIGCSE intake will be doubled or even tripled for all subjects. Currently our HIGCSE intake is very low and it is my wish to do something about it. I think that the school also needs some renovation and to be repainted. A good environment is also conducive for teaching and learning.

2. How do you feel about the teacher/student relationship?
The Learner-Teacher relationship is quite satisfactory. I think it is open and learners are always encouraged to speak their minds and they are always consulted on decisions affecting them. We have the Learners Representative Council (LRC) which acts as a link between the learners and teachers. Learners are also represented on the School board by some LRC's.

3. What does it take to get to your position?
You need to have proper and relevant qualifications and to work hard. Being a principal requires that you have to work with different people from different backgrounds and different expectations and behavior. You have to try and satisfy everyone which is not possible. So, it takes a lot of hard work, planning, and thinking to be a principal.

4. Tell us about how you organize events and everyday tasks.

I work through various committees which are made up of teachers and learners. If there is an event to be organized I always establish a committee and then they are given their job description and off it goes. I always liaise with the chairperson of the committee to ask about the progress and offer advice if needed. I also make use of my Head of Departments (HOD) to run the school on a daily basis. The school management, LRC and hostel management are also involved in the daily administration of the school

5. Are you thinking of doing any type of upgrading or renovating of the school?
Yes. Since the inception of the school in 1983, no renovation has been done. Therefore there is a need for renovation at least to repaint as stated earlier. Furthermore we are planning to renovate the fence, possibly put a wall up (if funds allow) on the side of Zola Complex. That complex is a bit of a disturbance, especially in the evening and close to the fence. Furthermore we also want to renovate or upgrade the fence at the entrance. The hostels also need some renovation, especially the boys blocs. We have already embarked with renovations i.e. taps, lockers, beds, but the N$1700 which is paid for the hostel maintenance is too little to carry out a major renovation. Our kitchen also needs some renovation and we submitted a request to the ministry and we hope that they will accommodate our request for the 2005/2006 financial year.
6. Do you feel that the teachers are trying to help students pass or just want a reason to be paid. In other words, do the teachers find money more important than their students or the other way around?
I'm not sure, but I think it is a combination of both. Some teacher love their job and do I as a "labor of love". Others maybe do it for the money. I think the latter are in the minority in this school It's very tricky. It's like an egg and chicken situation. Which one was first?
7. In Mweshipandeka less people are doing HIGSCE, while more learners are doing core and extended. What are your plans in order to increase the number of people doing HIGSCE.
First of all we need to have good, experienced and committed teachers. Then I think we can increase the intake for HIGSCE (see #1). If we want good results in the HIGCSE, then we need to work hard, even in the afternoons. I think teachers and learners have to develop that working mentality. Then we can have more learners for HIGCSE.

8. How do you manage the school.
See #4

9. What changes did you bring to Mweshipandeka? What new ideas do you have for Mweshipandeka and how do you think they help the school?I think the organizational culture has changed for the better. Teaches and learners are now more serious with their studies and the results are gradually improving. The physical appearance of the school has also changed for the better. We have introduced some ideas to motivate our learners, i.e. prize awards, science fairs. I think our recognition of effort and rewards will have a positive impact on the results.

Welcome to Mweshipandeka

Mweshipandeka is a Senior Secondary School in Ongwediva, Namibia. There are approximately 750 students, about 500 of whom live on site.


email us at: mweshipandeka@yahoo.com