Namibia: Education is a national priority, but challenges must be addressed
Based on a story from Education International
Education unions reaffirmed that quality public education begins with quality funding during the Education International (EI) Southern Africa Sub-Regional Workshop on the Go Public! Fund Education campaign, held in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 23-24 July 2026. For Namibia, the Namibia National Teachers' Union (NANTU) presented a country report on the implementation of the Go Public! campaign at the event, convened by EI Africa and hosted by the South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) and the National Professional Teachers' Organisation of South Africa (NAPTOSA). While NANTU welcomed Namibia's commitment to publicly funded education, it warned that the promise of free education will remain empty words unless governments also tackle overcrowded classrooms, shortages, infrastructure gaps and the hidden costs that keep learners from fully enjoying their right to learn. Namibia has a population of around 3 million people, with about 927,647 learners in its schools. The country allocates around 8.9% of GDP to education, above the 6% international benchmark set out in United Nations recommendations, representing about 24% of the national budget. NANTU stressed that tuition and registration fees are only one part of all education costs, and called on the government to progressively extend full public funding to cover peripheral costs such as hostels and stationery. The union also raised concerns about staffing: Namibia has about 2,400 schools and 35,000 teachers, with an oversupply of primary school teachers but a shortage at high school level, and class sizes above approved norms, with the learner-teacher ratio reaching 1:45 or 1:55 in some cases. NANTU noted that qualified teachers remain unemployed while classrooms remain overcrowded, and called for this oversupply to be addressed in ways that help decongest overcrowded classes. The union also highlighted that the bush allowance paid to teachers working in remote areas is too small to properly motivate and value teachers. NANTU is actively engaging with the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture through the National Technical Committee to address these issues.
Read the original story on Education International's website ›
Vocabulary
- Sub-regional — relating to a smaller area within a larger region, such as a group of neighbouring countries.
- Commercialisation — turning something, such as education, into a business activity run for profit.
- Allocate — to officially assign money or resources for a particular purpose.
- Learner-teacher ratio — the number of learners in a class compared to the number of teachers.
- Peripheral costs — additional expenses connected to something, beyond its main or direct cost.
- Social dialogue — discussion and negotiation between unions, employers, and governments on matters of shared concern.
Lesson questions
1. Which organisation presented Namibia's country report, and at what event?
2. What percentage of GDP does Namibia allocate to education, and how does that compare to the international benchmark?
3. What contradiction does NANTU identify between qualified teachers and classroom overcrowding?
4. According to NANTU, what kinds of costs must be covered for education to be genuinely free?
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