Staff Reporter
NAMIBIA is maintaining a strong commitment to education financing while making significant progress in pre-primary access, but the country continues to face challenges in keeping learners in school beyond primary education, according to UNESCO’s 2026 Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report.
The 2026 GEM Report highlights Namibia’s high level of public investment in education, with education expenditure amounting to 9.1% of gross domestic product and 24.6% of total government expenditure. The latter is above the Sustainable Development Goal benchmark of 15% to 20% of public spending for education.
Namibia also has a highly qualified teaching workforce, with 93% of pre-primary teachers, 95% of primary teachers and 96% of secondary teachers formally trained and qualified, according to the report.
Pupil-teacher ratios stand at 24 learners per teacher at pre-primary level, 28 at primary level and 22 at secondary level.
The report further highlights substantial progress in access to pre-primary education immediately before primary school. The adjusted net enrolment rate for five-year-olds, one year before the official primary school entry age, reached 93% in 2024, up from 72% in 2015.
However, overall participation across the pre-primary age group remains considerably lower, with a net enrolment rate of 37%.
The report adds that 77% of children under five are developmentally on track, while 26% experience stunting and only 14% have access to three or more children’s books at home.
Namibia’s progress in getting children into school is more pronounced at primary level, but participation and completion decline as learners move into secondary education.
Primary school completion stands at 86%, compared with 55% for lower secondary education and 37% for upper secondary education. The out-of-school rate increases from 1% among primary-school-age children to 25% among those of upper-secondary-school age.
The report also points to grade repetition and over-age enrolment, particularly at lower secondary level, as factors affecting learner progression.
The findings come as Namibia’s Sixth National Development Plan (NDP6) identifies a shortage of 1,977 pre-primary classrooms. According to NDP6, 55,158 learners were enrolled in pre-primary in 2024, compared with 104,594 learners in Grade 1, highlighting the need for additional infrastructure.
Deputy Minister of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture Dino Ballotti has emphasised that access should be measured beyond simply getting children into classrooms.
“Getting a child into a classroom is only the first step. True access means starting school at the right age, attending every day, moving successfully from one phase to the next, and finishing with an education that is meaningful,” Ballotti said.
The GEM Report also highlights Namibia as an example of a country using formula-based revenue sharing for education transfers to subnational governments.
The mechanism uses earmarked education transfers with equity adjustments that take into account factors such as poverty, rurality, community vulnerability, small school sizes and minority populations.
The report’s broader focus on access and equity comes as Namibia seeks to address differences in educational opportunities between urban and rural communities and among disadvantaged populations. UNESCO said the 2026 GEM Report examines participation and disparities by factors including sex, location, wealth and disability.
Expanding pre-primary infrastructure is particularly important for remote rural communities and indigenous minority populations, which face greater barriers to early school readiness and access to education.
The report highlights targeted allocation of resources, including funding, qualified teachers and infrastructure, as an important mechanism for addressing regional and socioeconomic disparities.
Namibia’s basic school infrastructure is relatively strong in several areas, with 98% of primary schools having access to basic drinking water and 94% having basic sanitation facilities.
However, electricity and digital connectivity remain areas requiring further attention. Electricity is available in 60% of primary schools, while only 25% have internet or computer access for teaching and learning purposes, compared with 64% of secondary schools.
The findings were discussed during Namibia’s national policy dialogue on the 2026 GEM Report, held in Windhoek on 30 September. The dialogue brought together Government representatives, researchers, civil society organisations and international partners to assess progress and remaining challenges in access and equity in education.
The 2026 GEM Report, titled Access and Equity, examines who is still being left behind in education and how countries can expand access more equitably as the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal deadline approaches.
Picture for illustrative purposes only. Photo: Ministry of Education Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture
