Namibia

Namibia Residential

Namibia is known for its commitment to community-based natural resource management through its network of community wildlife conservancies. Students in the Class of 2014 (Conservation Concentration) had the opportunity to visit several of the conservancies, including Torra Communal Conservancy, Anabeb Communal Conservancy, Purros Communal Conservancy, and Etosha National Park. During these visits, they were able to meet with conservancy members, game guards, campsite managers, traditional chiefs, and community members to gain a broad perspective of issues and challenges facing conservancies and communities. Students also visited the Namibian Coast Conservation and Management Project (NACOMA) and the Sam Nujoma Marine and Coastal Resources Research Center (SAMNUMARC) of the University of Namibia near Swakopmund on the Atlantic Coast. Future Generations Namibian alumni, Tjivekumba Kandjii and Antoinette Stanley, were invaluable in the organization of the residential.

Future Generations University Alumni

STANLEY ANTOINETTE, CLASS OF 2014
Practicum Summary: Effects of Career Guidance on Grade 10 Learners’ Readiness to Make Career Choices in Namibia

Antoinette’s research analyzes the effects of career guidance on student ability to make career choices at Jan Mohr Secondary School in Namibia. In Namibia, most students entering tertiary institutions lack direction in their course selection and do not possess clear motivations for their chosen field of study, which is attributed to inadequate career guidance and assessment of individual learners, nationwide. In result, students often develop into discontent workers, after leaving their secondary institution without having gained proper knowledge of employment opportunities that fit their skills and interests. In Antoinette’s study, she determines whether grade 10 learners who received more career guidance would be more prepared than their peers who did not receive guidance. Thirty-five subjects were randomly selected for the experimental group that received guidance, while the thirty-five remaining subjects were randomly selected as the control group, and did not receive career guidance. The data was collecting using a career readiness questionnaire, which was distributed to the experimental group twice, but the control group one time. In her data analysis, Antoinette discovered that her hypothesis held true: students who received career guidance were far more prepared than their counterparts who were not presented with a guidance opportunity.