The President of the Republic of Namibia announced on April 24, 2025, that public higher education will be free in the country starting in the 2026 academic year.
This declaration by the President-elect, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, was welcomed by the University of Namibia (UNAM), the country’s main public university. UNAM, which has 13 campuses and four faculties across the country, “welcomes the announcement as a positive step for the future of higher education in Namibia,” said its spokesperson, Simon Namesho, in an interview with News Tank on May 2, 2025.
The initiative does not allocate additional funds to finance the education of Namibian students, nor does it specify what is meant by “higher education” This uncertainty has been criticized by the student branch of the opposition party Affirmative Repositioning, whose representatives told the BBC: “There is no plan, just a confusing announcement.”
These concerns are not shared by UNAM. “The university has not yet received detailed and formal communication regarding the implementation of the reform. Nevertheless, UNAM is optimistic and expects structured consultations between the government and higher education institutions well before the start of the 2026 academic year.”
Primary and secondary education have been free in Namibia since 2013 and 2016, respectively. With this measure, the new president is following in the footsteps of her South African neighbor, which made higher education free for the most disadvantaged following protests in 2015.
This article, produced by Afriscitech, was published by NewsTank Education & Research on June 4, 2025. It is reproduced with the kind permission of NewsTank, and has been translated by Afriscitech.
