Call for constitutional amendment on education
Former education minister David Namwandi has called for the amendment of Article 20 of the Namibian constitution, which pertains to the establishment and maintenance of private schools, colleges, or other institutions of tertiary education.
Namwandi made these remarks during the tertiary education sector strategic engagement meeting in Windhoek last week.
The meeting brought together education sector stakeholders to discuss and address various issues relating to tertiary education in Namibia.
New education landscape
Article 20 of the Namibian constitution grants any individual the right to establish and maintain private educational institutions at their own expense, provided they meet specific conditions.
These conditions include registering the institutions with a government department in accordance with applicable laws, maintaining standards comparable to those of state-funded educational institutions, and ensuring non-discriminatory practices in admissions and staff recruitment based on race, colour, or creed.
Namwandi's primary concern centres around sub-article 4 of Article 20, which mandates that private educational institutions must uphold standards equal to those of their state-funded counterparts. He argues that this requirement is outdated and no longer applicable given the significant advancements in education quality assurance since its inception.
"I think it is high time that the constitution is amended. Article 20, sub-article 4, which states that any body, any institutions, or any Namibian can establish a training institution provided that the standards maintained by such schools, colleges or institutions of tertiary education are not inferior to the standards maintained in comparable schools, colleges or institutions of tertiary education funded by the State," Namwandi said.
Authorities in place
The former education minister pointed out that the current regulatory environment includes the Namibia Qualifications Authority (NQA) and the Namibia Commission for Higher Education (NCHE), which were established to ensure and monitor educational standards across all institutions, both public and private.
These authorities play a crucial role in guaranteeing the delivery of quality education, making sub-article 4 of Article 20 redundant in today's context, Namwandi said.
"I believe this is an outdated article because this was enforced at a time when we did not have NQA and we did not have NCHE. I think it is high time that the Minister of Higher Education works with the necessary authorities to see to it that this article is amended," Namwandi stressed.
Namwandi made these remarks during the tertiary education sector strategic engagement meeting in Windhoek last week.
The meeting brought together education sector stakeholders to discuss and address various issues relating to tertiary education in Namibia.
New education landscape
Article 20 of the Namibian constitution grants any individual the right to establish and maintain private educational institutions at their own expense, provided they meet specific conditions.
These conditions include registering the institutions with a government department in accordance with applicable laws, maintaining standards comparable to those of state-funded educational institutions, and ensuring non-discriminatory practices in admissions and staff recruitment based on race, colour, or creed.
Namwandi's primary concern centres around sub-article 4 of Article 20, which mandates that private educational institutions must uphold standards equal to those of their state-funded counterparts. He argues that this requirement is outdated and no longer applicable given the significant advancements in education quality assurance since its inception.
"I think it is high time that the constitution is amended. Article 20, sub-article 4, which states that any body, any institutions, or any Namibian can establish a training institution provided that the standards maintained by such schools, colleges or institutions of tertiary education are not inferior to the standards maintained in comparable schools, colleges or institutions of tertiary education funded by the State," Namwandi said.
Authorities in place
The former education minister pointed out that the current regulatory environment includes the Namibia Qualifications Authority (NQA) and the Namibia Commission for Higher Education (NCHE), which were established to ensure and monitor educational standards across all institutions, both public and private.
These authorities play a crucial role in guaranteeing the delivery of quality education, making sub-article 4 of Article 20 redundant in today's context, Namwandi said.
"I believe this is an outdated article because this was enforced at a time when we did not have NQA and we did not have NCHE. I think it is high time that the Minister of Higher Education works with the necessary authorities to see to it that this article is amended," Namwandi stressed.
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