Sometimes, When You don’t say thank you, you may miss the opportunity to see anything positive.
At this juncture, I wish to express my heartfelt appreciation to president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah for her historic declaration that tertiary education will be free for Namibians from this year.
It is a warm-hearted initiative and a bold step toward social equity.
Yet, as we celebrate this noble achievement, a deeper concern about those the policy unintentionally leaves behind tugs at the conscience.
Consider the students who dropped out due to financial hardship.
Many wander the streets today, haunted by the shame of leaving university because their families could not pay fees.
For them, hearing of this noble policy, only to realise it does not cater to them, means the door remains closed.
The hunger, the exclusion, the sense of being left behind – this is a severe reality for too many dropouts.
The human cost of exclusion is high. According to the Namibia Statistics Agency, nearly 42% of young people aged 15-24 are not in employment, education, or training.
This includes those who left schools or universities early due to poverty or other hardships.
Namibia cannot afford to leave this talent unused.
Many dropouts have the potential to contribute to high-demand sectors such as science, technology, engineering, mathematics, healthcare, and entrepreneurship.
By excluding them, we risk wasting human capital and entrenching inequality, undermining the very goals of free education.
Access to education is a clear determinant: Young people with tertiary education face an unemployment rate of 8.8%, compared with 34.3% for those with only primary education.
Beyond economics, there is a moral and constitutional imperative. Education is enshrined in our Constitution as a right, not a privilege.
A policy that leaves behind students who struggled to stay in or return to higher education risks violating the spirit of social equity.
Free education should not be a selective privilege; it should uplift every Namibian with the drive and will to learn.
Even for those who successfully pursue first qualifications, the exclusion of postgraduate funding limits the nation’s future capacity.
If we want a Namibia equipped with innovators, healthcare leaders, engineers, and entrepreneurs, we must ensure pathways to advanced studies are accessible.
Her excellency’s initiative is noble, but to build a truly inclusive Namibia, we must ensure that no Namibian dreamer is left behind.
This requires expanding the policy to include students who dropped out due to financial hardship and those pursuing postgraduate or high-demand fields.
We must embrace second chances, not as charity, but as a fundamental element of national development and human dignity.
True progress will come only when every Namibian with ambition, resilience, and the courage to learn can climb the ladder of education.
– Hidipo Hamata
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