Process
Because universal primary education is constitutionally guaranteed in Namibia, most villages tend to have their own primary schools (grades 1 through 7). Many of these schools are actually combined schools and offer junior secondary classes (grades 8 though 10) as well. In situations where a village has just a primary school, most students still live close enough to neighboring communities that they can continue their education there.
At the end of grade 10 all Namibian students take their Junior Secondary (JSC) Exams to determine whether or not they can enroll in senior secondary classes (grades 11 and 12). Students who fail are, practically speaking, dropped from the educational system. They can still continue via correspondence courses, but distance learning centers are often located in faraway town centers, and given the logistics and cost of transport, this arrangement generally proves untenable for students struggling with school in the first place.
The students who do pass the JSC exams still face challenges enrolling in senior secondary school. Even though less than half of them will pass in any given year, there aren’t enough schools to accommodate even those who do. Finding a school then becomes a hassle and oftentimes results in a student enrolling in one far away from home, sometimes in an entirely different part of the country. Regardless of where the school is, however, it is most likely far enough away from home that the student must reside in the school hostel, which doubles the financial burden on their families.
Fees
While the Namibian government provides the physical structures for schools as well as pays for teacher salaries, actual books, supplies, and materials are the responsibilities of the individual schools themselves. Occasionally a school will find a benefactor to help with school costs, but for the most part the entire budget is raised solely through student fees, which are set by community debate and tend to reflect what people can afford rather than what resources a school needs to properly educate its students.
Although schools are legally bound to teach students who can’t afford to pay school fees, in practice school administrators often discourage those who can’t from attending school. This isn’t much of a problem in primary or combined schools, where fees are low and community pushback is enough to keep a student in school, but at the senior secondary level things become more difficult for those struggling with money. Because senior secondary schools aren’t rooted in specific communities, and because of limited classroom space nationwide, these schools charge much more in fees and tend to prioritize students who can afford them over those who can’t. This preferential enrollment scheme often comes at the expense of students who don’t have money by either forcing them to find school elsewhere or, in some cases, denying them admission altogether.
Because universal primary education is constitutionally guaranteed in Namibia, most villages tend to have their own primary schools (grades 1 through 7). Many of these schools are actually combined schools and offer junior secondary classes (grades 8 though 10) as well. In situations where a village has just a primary school, most students still live close enough to neighboring communities that they can continue their education there.
At the end of grade 10 all Namibian students take their Junior Secondary (JSC) Exams to determine whether or not they can enroll in senior secondary classes (grades 11 and 12). Students who fail are, practically speaking, dropped from the educational system. They can still continue via correspondence courses, but distance learning centers are often located in faraway town centers, and given the logistics and cost of transport, this arrangement generally proves untenable for students struggling with school in the first place.
The students who do pass the JSC exams still face challenges enrolling in senior secondary school. Even though less than half of them will pass in any given year, there aren’t enough schools to accommodate even those who do. Finding a school then becomes a hassle and oftentimes results in a student enrolling in one far away from home, sometimes in an entirely different part of the country. Regardless of where the school is, however, it is most likely far enough away from home that the student must reside in the school hostel, which doubles the financial burden on their families.
Fees
While the Namibian government provides the physical structures for schools as well as pays for teacher salaries, actual books, supplies, and materials are the responsibilities of the individual schools themselves. Occasionally a school will find a benefactor to help with school costs, but for the most part the entire budget is raised solely through student fees, which are set by community debate and tend to reflect what people can afford rather than what resources a school needs to properly educate its students.
Although schools are legally bound to teach students who can’t afford to pay school fees, in practice school administrators often discourage those who can’t from attending school. This isn’t much of a problem in primary or combined schools, where fees are low and community pushback is enough to keep a student in school, but at the senior secondary level things become more difficult for those struggling with money. Because senior secondary schools aren’t rooted in specific communities, and because of limited classroom space nationwide, these schools charge much more in fees and tend to prioritize students who can afford them over those who can’t. This preferential enrollment scheme often comes at the expense of students who don’t have money by either forcing them to find school elsewhere or, in some cases, denying them admission altogether.
