Allexer Namundjembo
The United Democratic Front (UDF) Youth League has asked the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sport and Arts and Culture to explain a policy that allows learners to complete Grade 11 without guaranteed funding or clear pathways into further education or training.
In a letter dated 13 January addressed to education minister Sanet Steenkamp, UDF Youth League secretary general Rudolf Goseb questioned how the policy affects young Namibians who complete Grade 11 but cannot progress due to lack of financial support.
“It is troubling that Grade 11 learners are encouraged to complete their schooling while, in practice, many of them are left without access to financial support to further their education or training,” Goseb wrote.
He warned that the policy could leave learners stranded at a critical stage of their development.
Goseb said the situation points to gaps in planning and coordination in the education sector.
“Education is meant to empower and uplift our children, not to leave them stranded at a critical stage of their development,” he said.
He added that when learners are unable to progress beyond Grade 11, it often results in frustration, wasted potential and increased vulnerability among young Namibians.
He also pointed to a mismatch between education progression and funding systems.
“It is important to note that Namibia Students Financial Assistance Fund (NSFAF) funding originates from the Government of the Republic of Namibia. As such, its mandate should align with national development goals, particularly the protection and advancement of Namibian children,” Goseb wrote.
He called for clarity on the role of NSFAF in supporting learners affected by the current policy.
Goseb asked the ministry to clarify why learners are allowed to complete Grade 11 without guaranteed funding or clear progression pathways.
He also wants to know how NSFAF will support affected learners and what concrete measures are in place to ensure that no Namibian child’s future is compromised by policy gaps.
The request comes as Namibia reshapes its education funding system. NSFAF, which has long managed student loans and grants, is being reintegrated into the education ministry to centralise funding and administration.
At the same time, the government plans to introduce fully subsidised tertiary education at public universities and technical and vocational training centres in the 2026 academic year, covering tuition and registration fees for first-time undergraduate students.
President Netumbo Nandi Ndaitwah announced last year that the ministry will reintegrate NSFAF by October 2025.
NSFAF has also adjusted its funding model to include students repeating years, those in bridging programmes, and applicants across all income levels through an expanded loan system.
However, an NSFAF notice issued earlier this month stated that funding for degree programmes now requires a Grade 12 qualification with specified points.
This change closed a pathway previously used by some Grade 11 learners to access degree funding.
The debate unfolds alongside broader education reforms. In her 2025 state of the nation address, Nandi-Ndaitwah announced that Namibia would remove registration and tuition fees at public universities and vocational centres from 2026.
The government allocated N$663 million to cover these costs for the first quarter of 2026. Under the new system, the state will pay fees for first-time undergraduates and trainees in priority fields, while students remain responsible for accommodation and personal expenses.
However, the president of the Association for Localised Interest (ASOLI), Joseph Kauandenge, said the subsidised tertiary education plan is likely to benefit children from well-off families.
“The stark reality is that mostly only those students who are at private colleges from good-performing schools will take up the bulk of those who will qualify for this subsidy, while the vast majority of the students who really need these funds will at the end of the day not qualify at all because of institutional challenges at their public schools,” he said in a statement this week.
He described the rollout as poorly planned and driven by politics rather than a careful effort to widen access to higher education.
Steenkamp said the integration of NSFAF into her ministry aims to improve coordination and student support and to remove tuition and registration fees as barriers to post-secondary education.
She warned against over-enrolment as the new funding model is implemented, stressing that student numbers must align with institutional capacity and accreditation standards. She made these remarks at a press briefing held this year at the Namibian College of Open Learning (Namcol) centre.
