Allexer Namundjembo
A recent review by Palms for Life Namibia has found that the use of Ju/’hoansi as a medium of instruction in early primary education remains extremely limited. This is despite national policy requiring mother-tongue instruction from pre-primary to grade 3.
Ju/’hoansi is spoken by a group of Khoisan-speaking people residing in northeastern Namibia and northwestern Botswana.
The review, conducted in May 2025, assessed 14 schools identified by the National Institute for Educational Development (NIED) in the Tsumkwe and Otjinene areas of the Otjozondjupa and Omaheke regions.
While grade 4 is meant to serve as a transition to English, with the mother tongue used in a supportive role, the review found that only a few schools in the Nyae Nyae area actively use Ju/’hoansi in instruction.
Most schools surveyed have not implemented the language at all.
“This finding is deeply concerning. It clearly shows that the policy on paper is not being translated into action where it matters in the classrooms,” said Dayo Amutenya, programmes officer at Palms for Life Namibia.
Ju/’hoansi is an Indigenous San language that plays a key role in the identity of San communities. Education experts have long supported mother-tongue instruction in early learning, arguing that it improves academic performance and learner retention.
“We cannot speak of inclusive education while Indigenous learners are forced to learn in a language they don’t fully understand from the start,” said Maria Gaseb, an early childhood education advocate based in the Otjozondjupa region.
She added that language is not just a tool for communication, but it is a carrier of culture, worldview, and dignity.
The issue is not new. Since 2011, researchers and government reviews have noted that while Ju/’hoansi has a developed orthography and is included in the official curriculum, classroom use remains limited.
Challenges include a shortage of trained teachers, a lack of teaching materials, and weak institutional support.
“We have seen this pattern for years,” said a former NIED education specialist who requested anonymity.
“The schools are identified, and the language is named in policy, but there is little follow-through in terms of investment and support.”
The review found that while some schools use Ju/’hoansi and serve a total of 324 learners, most targeted schools, including those in Grashoek and Mangetti Dune, do not use the language at all.
Palms for Life Namibia is calling on the ministry of education, community leaders, and education stakeholders to take urgent steps to strengthen Indigenous language education.
“If we lose the use of Ju/’hoansi in schools, we are not only eroding access to quality education for San learners, we are also risking the disappearance of one of Namibia’s oldest living languages,” said Amutenya.
The organisation said language preservation must begin in early education and called for practical reforms that move beyond symbolic policies.
