Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has announced that university fees will be abolished from 2026 at all public universities and technical colleges.
The free education scheme will be phased in gradually, with students still required to pay for accommodation and other related costs.
The president made the announcement during her maiden state of the nation address, citing the subsidies already given to some public universities and the student financial assistance fund as sources of funding.
However, she noted that there would not be significant additional funding, raising concerns about the scheme’s feasibility.
While some student organizations have welcomed the announcement, others have criticized it as vague and unfeasible, questioning which students would benefit and how the funding would work.
The Affirmative Repositioning Student Command said it was just an attention-seeking ploy by the government.
Primary and secondary education is already free in Namibia’s public schools.
The move echoes similar efforts in neighboring South Africa, where fee-free education was introduced in 2017 but has been criticized for being too restrictive.
