Education ministry warns funding crisis threatens schools, free tertiary education goals

Education ministry warns funding crisis threatens reforms

The Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture has warned that inadequate funding, ageing infrastructure and shortages of specialised teachers threaten Namibia's efforts to improve education quality, expand access to tertiary education and strengthen youth development programmes.

Presenting the ministry's concerns during the National Council Stakeholder Engagement on Strengthening Parliamentary Oversight, Executive Accountability and Strategic Alignment for National Development in Windhoek on Tuesday, executive director Gerhard Vries said financial constraints remained the biggest obstacle to implementing the ministry's five-year Strategic Plan.

"The biggest challenge is funding. We have many programmes and policies that we want to implement, but these require resources," Vries said.

He warned that growing demand for classrooms, infrastructure, youth programmes and innovation initiatives was placing increasing pressure on limited public resources.

"We need to look at alternative sources of funding, including public-private partnerships, donor support, private sector investment and other innovative financing mechanisms," he said.

According to the ministry's presentation, its overall budget amounts to about N$28 billion, but most of that allocation is absorbed by salaries and operational costs, leaving limited funding for infrastructure and other development projects.

"The 2026/27 allocation is heavily weighted towards personnel and operations, with very little left for capital expenditure," Vries said.

He cautioned that major government commitments, including free tertiary education, early childhood development integration, improved school infrastructure and digital learning, would require realistic implementation plans backed by sustainable financing.

"These ambitions must be matched with realistic budgets. Policies alone cannot deliver results if they are not supported by resources," he said.

The ministry also identified infrastructure shortages as a major challenge, citing deficits in classrooms, hostels, laboratories, sports facilities and cultural infrastructure.

"We still have areas where learners are studying under difficult conditions because infrastructure has not kept pace with demand," Vries said.

Digital learning

Teacher shortages, particularly in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), technical and vocational education and training (TVET), and digital learning, were also highlighted as a concern.

"We need teachers with the right skills, especially in areas that are driving the future economy. Without them, our reforms will not have the impact we want," he said.

Beyond the education sector, the ministry said youth unemployment, limited commercialisation of research, underdeveloped creative industries and unequal access to digital technologies continued to constrain national development.

Vries said addressing those challenges would require stronger collaboration between government institutions, Parliament, communities, educators, young people and the private sector.

"We cannot work in isolation. The success of these programmes depends on collaboration between government, Parliament, communities, educators, young people and the private sector," he said.

The ministry also acknowledged weaknesses in policy implementation, noting that institutional responsibilities were sometimes not matched by sufficient authority, budgets or accountability mechanisms. It further noted that monitoring systems often measured outputs, such as the number of beneficiaries reached, rather than long-term outcomes, including improved learning performance, employment opportunities, enterprise growth and broader social impact.

Vries said future interventions would place greater emphasis on rural communities, informal settlements and persons with disabilities.

"We have to ensure that our interventions reach those who need them most and that no learner or young person is left behind because of where they live or their circumstances," he said.

Despite the challenges, Vries said the ministry remained committed to implementing reforms aimed at improving education, expanding access to tertiary education and strengthening innovation and youth development.

"The success of these key programmes depends on sustained funding, strong inter-governmental collaboration, and active partnerships among all stakeholders," he said.