Erasmus Shalihaxwe
Joseph Kauandenge, president of the newly formed Association for Localised Interests (ASOLI), has expressed doubts about the effectiveness of free tertiary education in addressing high unemployment among graduates..
This comes after President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah announced in her State of the Nation Address last month that university fees will be scrapped from 2026.
Kauandenge welcomed the government’s decision to offer free tertiary education starting next year.
He, however, questioned its practicality and its potential to benefit young people.
He pointed out that while access to education may be an issue for some, the bigger problem lies in the thousands of graduates who remain unemployed despite having academic qualifications.
“We strongly believe that the government should rather have invested a substantial amount in infrastructure development, coupled with heavy investment in the manufacturing sector to create the much-needed job opportunities for our young people,” he said.
Kauandenge warned that offering free education might only result in more graduates entering the job market, where they will face the same challenges as those already unemployed.
“Dubbing countless young people on the street every year who have graduated from universities and yet opening an avenue for more to enter the same universities, only to face the same fate, is short-sighted,” he said.
He urged the government to focus on creating opportunities that can employ those who are already qualified and struggling to find work.
The government plans to allocate N$5 billion annually to fund its free tertiary education policy, which is part of the Swapo party’s manifesto and policy document introduced last year.
The policy aims to eliminate tuition fees at all government-run higher education institutions and technical and vocational training (TVET) centres by 2028.
To fully implement this plan, Swapo has set aside N$25 billion over the next five years.
