By Staff Reporter
The Namibian government announced on Monday that free tertiary education will begin in 2026 for qualifying citizens, covering tuition at public and private institutions through a new subsidy model aimed at improving access and reducing financial barriers.
According to the Minister of Education , Innovation, Youth , Sports , Arts and Culture, Hon.Sanet Steenkamp the new funding approach removes tuition and registration fees for first-time undergraduate students enrolled at accredited public and private universities, as well as trainees in vocational centres. Non-tuition expenses such as accommodation, meals, transport, and study materials will be offered as means-tested loans to financially vulnerable students through the Namibia Students Financial Assistance Fund (NSFAF).
Only Namibian citizens studying towards their first qualification will benefit, while students repeating a year, pursuing second qualifications, or enrolled at unaccredited institutions will not be eligible.
Namibians studying abroad will only qualify if their chosen programme is not offered domestically. Postgraduate funding remains under review.
The policy includes strict quality assurance measures, requiring all participating institutions to meet national standards enforced by the NCHE, NQA, and NTA. Public institutions must stop charging fees, while government will subsidise private institutions at regulated benchmark rates. A future list of priority study fields is also being developed.
The 2026 subsidy model marks a major shift in Namibia’s education landscape, aiming to expand equitable access, strengthen institutional quality, and reduce financial strain for students, while preparing the system for long-term reforms and priority-driven funding.
END …
Loading …
Leave a Reply