Staff Reporter
THE Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture has urged parents and guardians not to camp outside schools in an effort to secure admission for their children, stressing that Namibia’s school admission process is not based on a first-come, first-served system.
The ministry made the clarification in a statement delivered in the National Assembly on behalf of Minister of Education Sanet Steenkamp during the third session of the 8th Parliament.
The statement follows public concern after reports and images emerged of parents queuing for extended periods and, in some cases, spending nights outside schools to obtain application forms for pre-primary, Grade 1 and Grade 8 admissions for the 2027 academic year.
The ministry said it understands parents’ concerns about securing quality education opportunities for their children but emphasised that no parent is required to sleep outside a school gate to obtain admission.
According to the ministry, the admission process is guided by Article 20 of the Constitution of Namibia, which guarantees the right to education, as well as the Education Act, 2020, and Circular 3 of 2026 outlining admission procedures for public schools.
The collection of admission application forms commenced on 15 June 2026 and will continue until 30 June 2026 across all 14 regions.
Parents and guardians have been advised to collect forms from schools during the prescribed period, with the ministry stressing that collecting a form does not guarantee placement and arriving first does not give applicants an advantage.
Schools have been instructed to make sufficient application forms available and maintain applicant registers with unique identification numbers to ensure transparency and prevent duplication.
The ministry said admission decisions will be communicated after the closing date of 1 July 2026.
It explained that priority consideration is generally given to learners living within a school’s feeder zone, learners whose parents or guardians work within the feeder zone, and siblings of learners already attending the school.
Additional consideration may be given to families relocating due to employment or economic opportunities, while learners unable to be placed at their preferred schools may be offered placement at nearby schools with available capacity.
The ministry also reminded parents and schools that the prescribed application fee remains N$10 and that no learner may be discriminated against or unfairly disadvantaged during the admission process.
The ministry identified several challenges affecting admissions, including high demand for certain schools perceived as “centres of excellence”, urban migration increasing pressure on schools, and limited infrastructure capacity at some institutions.
Some schools, particularly in high-demand areas, have reached capacity levels of more than 1,500 learners, making further expansion difficult due to infrastructure limitations.
To address these challenges, the ministry said it is encouraging schools to establish representative admission committees and is exploring expanded online admission systems to reduce congestion and streamline the process.
The ministry added that Grade 7 learners will increasingly be encouraged to apply at their existing schools for Grade 8 placement to improve planning and ease the transition process.
It assured Parliament and the public that government remains committed to ensuring fair access to quality education and improving admission management across the country.
Photos: File
