Namibian student groups urge delay of higher education admission reform

The Swapo Party Youth League and the Student Union of Namibia are calling for a delay in the implementation of a new standardized admission points system for higher education. The Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sport, Arts and Culture recently established this scale, which requires institutions to calculate admissions based on a student’s best five subjects, with English as a compulsory requirement.

The Swapo Party Youth League has proposed moving the implementation from the 2027 academic year to 2028 to allow schools, teachers, and students sufficient time to prepare for the transition. They noted that students currently in grades 10 through 12 selected their subjects under the previous framework, making an immediate shift difficult.

Similarly, the Student Union of Namibia has urged the government to consider delaying the requirements even further, potentially to 2029. Union leaders expressed concerns that the new system could disadvantage learners from under-resourced or rural schools who lack the infrastructure and resources available to private institutions. They argued that the government should focus on improving basic education quality and addressing resource disparities before raising admission standards.