Staff Reporter
THE Executive Director of the Ministry of Education, Mbumba Erastus Haitengela, has reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to addressing the concerns of unemployed qualified teachers. However, he urged them to pursue structured dialogue through peaceful demonstrations, rather than protesting by camping outside public facilities.
“While the Ministry respects and upholds the constitutional right of unemployed teacher graduates to peaceful demonstration, it does not support practices such as camping at public facilities or government offices. The Ministry maintains that structured dialogue and lawful engagement remain the most constructive avenues to address these important issues,” Haitengela said.
His statement follows recent demonstrations by a group of unemployed qualified teachers who took to the streets to protest and call on the Ministry to take urgent action on the issue of teacher unemployment. The group submitted a petition to the Ministry on 8 July 2025 and later met with President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah at State House on 25 July 2025.
Haitengela confirmed receipt of the petition and noted that the Ministry has held several engagements with representatives of the group since June.
“These engagements have addressed concerns related to recruitment processes, interview procedures, learner–teacher ratios, and the establishment of a verified database of unemployed graduates. In her official response, the Minister of Education reaffirmed the Ministry’s recognition of these concerns and outlined key initiatives, including the Decongestion Plan (2025–2027) to reduce overcrowding in schools and create new teaching posts, the transition of Early Childhood Development (ECD) functions to the Ministry by 2027, and the establishment of a Teaching Profession Council to professionalise and strengthen the education sector,” the Executive Director added.
He assured that the Ministry remains committed to ongoing dialogue with unemployed teacher graduates and is working towards sustainable solutions to ensure that qualified teachers are given fair opportunities to contribute to Namibia’s education system.
