The education ministry plans to construct 148 permanent classrooms and 66 pre-primary classrooms across all 14 regions ahead of the 2027 academic year, as the government steps up efforts to address overcrowding and improve access to education.
Deputy Minister of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture Dino Ballotti announced the plans on Monday at the launch of the ministry’s Strategic Plan 2025 to 2030, saying implementation began at the start of the 2025/26 financial year.
Ballotti said the government is also building 25 new schools in 10 regions to ease overcrowding, particularly at schools with more than 2 500 learners. He said 22 of the schools had already reached roof level.
“Allow me to pause for a moment, at no point are we saying that the classes and schools that are being built are sufficient, it’s always going to be a task of prioritising with finite resources. Additional classes mean we cut from somewhere else, and I personally am pleased that the decongestion plan is in full effect,” he said. The ministry is also preparing to take over early childhood development functions by 2028, with 150 additional pre-primary classrooms already in procurement.
Access to education and funding
Ballotti said the Namibia School Feeding Programme reached 500 371 learners, exceeding its target of 497 749 in 2025.
The Namibia Students Financial Assistance Fund (NSFAF) received 41 322 applications in 2025 and awarded financial assistance to 30 223 students, approximately 34% more than the target of 22 500 beneficiaries initially set.
Under the subsidised tertiary education funding model, 39 308 first-year students received award letters for the 2026 academic year.
Ballotti said technical and vocational education and training (TVET) enrolment increased from 23 870 to 26 875 trainees in 2025.
He added that the Khorixas, Keetmanshoop and Nkurenkuru vocational training centres have been completed and are operational.
Teacher regulation
and digital learning
The ministry plans to strengthen the teaching profession through legislation establishing a professional regulatory authority for teachers. Ballotti said a bill to establish the authority is now with the legal drafter.
The government also intends to finalise its National Digital Teaching and Learning Policy and connect another 300 schools to the internet.
According to Ballotti, decodable reading materials for foundational literacy have been finalised in 11 languages, with the potential to reach more than 273 000 learners in Grades 1 to 3.
The ministry has also developed a pre-primary to Grade 3 Mathematics syllabus guide that could benefit about 327 000 learners.
In addition, 140 educators completed a course on Artificial Intelligence for teachers, while 1 946 schools had been mapped on the GIGA platform to guide school connectivity efforts. Schools offering NSSCAS received Smart Interactive Educational Screens, 64 community libraries were equipped with computers, and internet at regional libraries was upgraded from 35 to 200 megabits per second.
On research, science, technology and innovation, scientific publications rose by 18.5%, from 747 to 885, and researchers are now publishing in leading journals such as Nature.
The Lancet Global Health and Namibia completed its AI Readiness Assessment and has established the National AI Institute at Kenya House in Windhoek.
Youth unemployment
and skills development
Addressing youth empowerment, Ballotti said 1 032 young people had received entrepreneurship and business management training, while 968 had been identified for support under the Namibia Youth Credit Scheme.
He said 28 youth enterprises had received funding under the 121 Constituency Youth Enterprises Programme.
The ministry also established and registered 14 youth agricultural cooperatives, while 450 young people received biomass production training. Of those trained, 274 had entered commercial charcoal production on government farms.
Ballotti said at least four vocational training centres would be upgraded to TVET colleges offering qualifications up to National Qualifications Framework Level 6.
The ministry also plans to finalise the National Human Resources Development Strategy to address skills mismatches and youth unemployment.
Balloti said1 030 young people completed the six-month National Service Training Programme, and 600 graduates were enlisted into the Namibian Defence Force, adding that 160 Namibian elite athletes signed contracts nationally and internationally and 99 high-performance coaches were accredited with their respective federations.
Infrastructure development
The minister said that new primary schools were completed at Tsaraxa-Aibes, Swakopmund and Otavi.
“We delivered new and renovated hostels at Schuckmansburg, Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana, Oshikunde, Ndoro Memorial and Ngcove. Across all 14 regions, 71 permanent classrooms and 106 pre-primary classrooms were built (in the 2025/26 financial year),” he said.
He further added that three community hostels and three Community Learning Development Centres were handed over at Nkurenkuru, Karibib and Rehoboth and that Phase 1 of both a resource school in Kamanjab and the Keetmanshoop VTC has been completed, as well as the NUS Lüderitz campus was inaugurated, offering engineering, tourism, logistics and management. ehakaala@nepc.com.na
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