Multigrade teaching has been used in Namibia since the introduction of formal education;
however, it became more prominent after independence, when the government proposed it to
be the norm. Yet, regardless of its prevalence in rural schools – as high as 40% – qualified
teachers are still not trained to teach multigrade classes. The primary aim of the research
study therefore was to investigate multigrade teaching at three rural primary schools in the
Ncuncuni circuit in the Kavango region. By employing a phenomenological methodology,
the study explores the experiences and challenges as encountered in multigrade classrooms
by six teachers. While a number of the challenges are common to experiences in typical
monograde classrooms in Namibia – such as shortages of resources, poor parental
involvement, and high rates of learner attrition – there are others that are specific to a
multigrade setting. Given the growing number of multigrade schools in Namibia, particularly
in rural settings, where infrastructure is already poor, the urgency for properly trained
multigrade teachers can no longer be ignored. Among the key recommendations made by this
study is that appropriate and sufficient teaching and learning materials, such as selfinstructional
and self-learning materials, should be provided to schools offering multigrade
teaching. In acknowledging that the introduction of professional training will take time, and
that the current teachers in multigrade classrooms are in dire need of support, the study would
also like to recommend support from regional offices in the form of specialist advisers. There
are numerous teachers in multigrade classrooms – many of whom will never receive any
formal training. These teachers require immediate and on-going support if the Ministry of
Education hopes to provide quality teaching and learning to learners.