How Namibia can leverage a free tertiary education policy
In April 2025, during the State of the Nation Address, President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah announced free tertiary education. From 2026, qualifying Namibians will no longer pay registration or tuition fees at universities. This is one of the most important political decisions made this year. The question is: how can Namibia maximise the benefits of this policy?
Namibia has three major universities — the University of Namibia, Namibia University of Science and Technology, and the International University of Management — as well as technical and vocational training (TVET) centres nationwide. These institutions have long supplied the skills and knowledge needed for national development. Although our universities are not highly ranked in Africa, they have produced outstanding minds, such as Namibia’s leading defence lawyer, Sisa Namandje.
Free tertiary education aims to raise the country’s literacy rate, currently 87.64%, and produce a more educated and productive workforce. It is expected to increase the number of specialised medical doctors, scientists, and other professionals, reducing the need for Namibians to seek services abroad. It also advances Namibia’s Vision 2030 for an educated society.
To ensure this policy drives real development, universities and TVET centres must improve teaching quality, grading standards, and academic programmes. Lecturers should be highly qualified, grading systems should encourage healthy competition, and new programmes should address the country’s developmental needs — for example, petroleum engineering, data science, nuclear physics, and forensic auditing. Elevating existing programmes to master’s and PhD levels could also motivate more Namibians to pursue advanced studies, increasing the pool of scholars and experts.
The decision to make tertiary education free is a bold step in the right direction. But its success depends on the quality of education offered. If universities strengthen teaching and expand programmes aligned with national priorities, free tertiary education could become one of Namibia’s most transformative policies.
*Collen Kurana is a Doctor of Philosophy student at the Durban University of Technology.
Namibia has three major universities — the University of Namibia, Namibia University of Science and Technology, and the International University of Management — as well as technical and vocational training (TVET) centres nationwide. These institutions have long supplied the skills and knowledge needed for national development. Although our universities are not highly ranked in Africa, they have produced outstanding minds, such as Namibia’s leading defence lawyer, Sisa Namandje.
Free tertiary education aims to raise the country’s literacy rate, currently 87.64%, and produce a more educated and productive workforce. It is expected to increase the number of specialised medical doctors, scientists, and other professionals, reducing the need for Namibians to seek services abroad. It also advances Namibia’s Vision 2030 for an educated society.
To ensure this policy drives real development, universities and TVET centres must improve teaching quality, grading standards, and academic programmes. Lecturers should be highly qualified, grading systems should encourage healthy competition, and new programmes should address the country’s developmental needs — for example, petroleum engineering, data science, nuclear physics, and forensic auditing. Elevating existing programmes to master’s and PhD levels could also motivate more Namibians to pursue advanced studies, increasing the pool of scholars and experts.
The decision to make tertiary education free is a bold step in the right direction. But its success depends on the quality of education offered. If universities strengthen teaching and expand programmes aligned with national priorities, free tertiary education could become one of Namibia’s most transformative policies.
*Collen Kurana is a Doctor of Philosophy student at the Durban University of Technology.
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