Written by Kim Lothaller
Namibia, known to be the driest country in Sub-Saharan Africa, is a geographically large nation. This country, which borders South Africa, Angola, Botswana, and Zambia, also has a 1,500-kilometre south Atlantic coastline. Although, Namibia is quite vast, only approximately 2.53 million people live here. Sound economic management and political stability have reduced poverty levels and, in turn, has allowed Namibia to be recognised as an upper-middle-income country. Nonetheless, socioeconomic inequalities, heightened by the past apartheid government systems, remain quite high (1).
Currently, the education system in Namibia is structured into four different levels, including pre-primary (kindergarten), primary (grades 1 to 7), secondary (grades 8 to 12), and tertiary education. Education is compulsory for all children between the ages of 6 and 16 years old respectively. With roughly two million citizens, approximately 1500 schools exist in this country, with around 100 of these being privately owned (2). Since 2016, primary and secondary education in government-owned schools have been free. As school is only mandatory till the age of 16 (or Grade 10), once students successfully complete this grade they receive a Junior Secondary School Certificate.
As stated and seen in the Constitution:
Children shall not be allowed to leave school until they have completed their primary education cycle or have attained the age of sixteen (16) years, whichever is the sooner, save in so far as this may be authorised by Act of Parliament on grounds of health or other considerations pertaining to the public interest (Constitution of the Republic of Namibia Article 20). (7)
Additionally, should students choose to continue their education, students will receive a Namibia Senior Secondary Education Certificate once Grade 12 has been successfully completed (4).
Despite primary school being compulsory and free, enrolment rates in Namibian school is only around 80%, with gender and regional differences existing. Additionally, the drop-out rate ranges between 1% and 10%, with these being particularly high in Grades 1, 5, and 10 (5). In a country bigger than Belgium and France put together, with great areas of desert, the proper authorities are struggling to provide quality education to hard-to-reach communities and, furthermore, ensure that children remain in the system. It has been found that there is a repetition rate of over 20% in Grade 5 and close to 50% of students in Grade 10 fail their exams (6).
Main Educational Problems in Namibia
Access to Education:
Although primary school attendance rates have increased over the past years, getting an education in rural and outlying locations continues to be difficult. Many schools in these regions lack basic amenities like electricity and water, and students frequently have to travel great distances to get to school (6). Learners from these vulnerable communities often see high repetition rates (especially in Grades 1,5, and 8) and soaring drop-out rates (particularly after Grade 10, after school is compulsory anymore). Additionally, on average, only 1 out 100 learners living in rural Namibia graduate from Grade 12 (7).
Education Quality:
Although the government has made investments to raise education standards in Namibia, this issue still exists. Several schools lack sufficient skilled instructors, instructional supplies, and fundamental infrastructure, which, as a result, has a severe effect on the standard of education that students receive (6). As a result, in all 13 defined educational regions, the majority of the learners are not able to reach the minimum standards in the English reading level. For example, at the overall national level, only 16.6% of the learners were able to reach the minimum level (learners who will barely survive the next year of schooling) in reading literacy, while only a 6.7% managed to reach the desirable level (learners who will definitely succeed the following academic year) (3).
Additionally, data continues to show that a lack of sufficient and adequate teaching and learning materials, sanitation, physical facilities, and other necessary conditions exist to allow a good teaching and learning environment. This disparity is even more obvious in former disadvantaged areas and regions. This data, however, seems to severely contradict the Namibian constitution and policy documents, specifically the ‘Towards Education for All’ document, which requires that:
To provide education for all, we must expand access to our education system. For that, we need not just have more schools but schools and other education programmes where learning is truly accessible to all Namibians (MEC, 1993:34,103) (3).
Inequality and High drop-out rates:
In Namibia, education disparity is a serious problem. Challenges remain in the access for pastoralists and nomadic groups, HIV/AIDS pandemic, and natural disasters. As a result, many kids, who often face financial difficulties, a lack of access to basic amenities as well as subpar academic results, often decide to leave school prematurely (8). When compared to their peers from more fortunate circumstances, students from underprivileged backgrounds frequently have less access to high-quality education (7). Additionally, ‘school under the tree’ is still very common in this country. This image truly symbolises the unequal distribution of facilities and resources amongst the urban and rural schools. For example, more than 47 000 primary school children are still taught under trees or in ‘traditional’ classrooms, with a large portion of these not having any basic services such as clean water, toilets, and electricity (3).
Quality and equity are important components and are well embodied in education policy documents and official reports. These documents and reports highlight the access expansions, access to high quality of education, and facilitation of economic growth and competitiveness. The ‘Towards Education for All’ policy document in Namibia emphasises that a major hurdle for quality and equity in this country’s education system is the obvious inequitable distribution of resources amongst the different regions, which is linked to the history of Namibia (3). Additionally, this policy emphasises that:
Education for all does not simply mean more schools or more children in school. Nor does it mean that they simply start literacy classes or increase the number of places in programmes for out of school youth. Education for all requires that the government develop its system of education and training and how it organises it (MEC, 1993) (3).
EDUCATIONAL DIFFICULTIES RESULTING FROM THE EFFECTS OF COVID
Following the effects COVID-19 had on face-to-face teaching and learning time, nearly 90% of high school students in Namibia could not graduate at the end of 2022. Out of the 38,000 students that wrote their final 2022 high school examinations, only around 5,000 of these managed to pass. Even though schools were not closed altogether during the of COVID, the significant loss of face-to-face teaching have led to the poor results seen in 2022. Out of the 198 school days planned learners were unable to master all the academic competencies needed to successfully progress to following grades. Additionally, during this time, the poor education infrastructure has become more obvious, with a shortage of classrooms, learning and teaching resources, as well as the absence of systematic support for teachers and learners at school levels. Furthermore, discipline amongst learners and teachers has slowly been declining and, as a result, weak monitoring and evaluation occurs at all levels of education (8).
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
- The World Bank. “Overview.” World Bank, 2016, www.worldbank.org/en/country/namibia/overview. Accessed 29 Mar. 2023.
- Shusko, Lisa. “The Successes and Challenges of the Namibian Education System.” Our Peace Corps Namibia Blog, 23 June 2015, shusko.wordpress.com/2015/06/23/the-successes-and-challenges-of-the-namibian-education-system/. Accessed 31 Mar. 2023.
- Hailombe, O. (2011). Education Equity and Quality in Namibia: A case study of Mobile Schools in the Kunene Region. Retrieved April 12, 2023, from https://repository.up.ac.za/bitstream/handle/2263/24256/Complete.pdf?sequence=10
- World Bank. Namibia Education Overview. 2020, www.worldbank.org/en/country/namibia/brief/namibia-education-overview. Accessed 31 Mar. 2023.
- Wikan, G. (2008). Challenges in the primary education in Namibia. Retrieved April 4, 2023, from https://brage.inn.no/inn-xmlui/bitstream/handle/11250/133746/rapp07_2008.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y.
- Bellamy, C., & Sousa, G. (n.d.). Equitable access to Quality Education: Challenges in Namibia. Equitable Access to Quality Education: Challenges in Namibia | Capacity4dev. Retrieved April 4, 2023, from https://europa.eu/capacity4dev/articles/equitable-access-quality-education-challenges-namibia
- UNICEF. (2018, April 9). Improving school participation in Namibia. UNICEF Office of Innovation . Retrieved April 12, 2023, from https://www.unicef.org/innovation/stories/digital-learning-platform-namibia