Towermaths Namibia
Towermaths Namibia is very excited to announce the launch of their maths project at four primary schools in the Khomas region in February 2021
The teachers of the four schools, Havana Primary School, Michelle Mclean Primary School, Fidel Castro Primary School and Hillside Primary School, are currently busy with virtual training-sessions with the Towermaths team..This first Towermaths project in Namibia was made possible with the kind sponsorship of the Chinese Embassy in Windhoek, who shares Towermaths Namibia’s motto ”to invest in the youth for a better future for all”. This is indeed good news in these bad times of Covid-19.However, while education is clearly a victim of the pandemic, it can also be the solution to the longer-term recovery if funded properly. We live in unprecedented times. At the time of writing almost 2.5 million people around the world have lost their lives to COVID-19 and face the worst economic global crisis since the Great Depression.
The health and economic emergency caused by the pandemic has also exacerbated the global learning crisis, affecting both the funding and the delivery of education globally, and hitting the world’s poorest countries and most vulnerable learners the hardest.
We are very excited to prepare our Namibian youth for a better tomorrow where new normal will be the norm. Mathematics is one of the unique human building blocks to a positive, exciting future. We do not have to import brain power into Namibia. We have it in our country, and Towermaths will be instrumental to the successful development of our youth.Towermaths focus on the foundational numeracy skills in pre-primary and primary school and therefore concentrate on Grade R to Grade 3.
It is a breakthrough in teaching mathematics and developed by Professor Koop Lubbinge over a period of 15 years. Our aim is to teach mathematics in a fun way in order to get rid of any fear for numbers. We need to get parents to take responsibility for their child’s future by giving them the opportunity to develop mathematical skills at as early as the age of 4 or 5.
The pilot project was launched 6 years ago and implementation started 4 years ago in three identified schools in the Mossel Bay area in South Africa in Grade R, 1and 2. Two of these schools were in disadvantaged communities. The results have gone beyond all expectations. We had +/- 1600 learners per year on the project.
We are very glad that Ms Edda Bohn – Deputy Executive Director of the Namibian Minister of Education – and Dr Alina Niipare attended our presentation in 2020, and the ministry of Education agreed to authorize the implementation of Towermaths in four schools in the Khomas region.
We integrate the Towermaths methodology into the Namibian curriculum. The outcome will still be the same, but the Towermaths methodology will apply in the development of numbers, operations and relationships in the Foundation Phase.
The training of teachers in Namibia commenced on the 1st of February and Towermaths officials train monitor and support teachers on a weekly basis in collaboration with officials of the Department of Education of Namibia. Teachers receive a weekly programme, virtual training and video support material. They also have access to the Towermaths portal where they can log in and get further support and information if needed.
Watch this video: https://youtu.be/CtwHMpe4WcU
For any additional information please call the Towermaths Namibia team at 0811273000.
