School Clusters breaking isolation and creating connections

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School clusters are being implemented in all regions of Namibia now. There are still many teething problems even in the regions that have implemented clusters for some time. The question is: are school clusters sustainable as a management approach in education? The main stumbling blocks in the way of sustainability include:

• transport where schools are far apart
• financing the extra costs in clustering such as telephone, transport and examination paper expenses
• the time a cluster centre principal may spend away from his/her school due to trips to other schools in the cluster.

The most serious problem in some regions is still the full support from the regional offices. For clustering to work, decisions need to be taken at school and cluster centre level, then reported up the line to inspectors and the regional office. But in many cases, the decisions of principals and inspectors are not acknowledged by the regional offices. Thus there is an uncertainty regarding the support/ cooperation/ agreement from regional office. These issues need attention and agreement at the highest management levels to guide the regional directors in their support of the cluster system.

(notes compiled from e-mail correspondence with GTZ Basic Education Project staff in Namibia)