Public dissatisfaction with Namibia’s education system has tripled over the last decade, with a clear majority of citizens now giving the government poor marks for how it handles the sector.
According to the latest Afrobarometer survey, more than 60% of Namibians rate the government’s performance in education poorly, a dramatic shift from 2014 when dissatisfaction sat at just 20%. This growing frustration has pushed education to the second-highest priority on the public’s agenda, trailing only unemployment.
The findings highlight a major gap between state spending and actual results. While the government allocated nearly a quarter of its national budget, roughly $1.5 billion, to education for the fiscal year, communities on the ground say they simply aren’t seeing the benefits.
Fewer than half of the surveyed areas have a school within easy walking distance, and infrastructure issues like a lack of electricity and running water continue to plague rural schools. The report also flags deeply troubling social issues within the school system, with more than 25% of respondents noting that schoolgirls frequently face harassment and discrimination from their teachers.
Furthermore, while the government has tried to implement aggressive free education policies, critics and citizens alike are pointing to plummeting literacy and numeracy benchmarks as proof that massive spending is failing to translate into quality learning for Namibian children.
–ChannelAfrica/ Afrobarometer–
