Namibia scraps exam fees for secondary education

Namibia has scrapped examination fees for pupils sitting for junior and senior secondary school certificates and it would be effective until 2016, Education Minister Katrina Hanse-Himarwa has said. Hanse-Himarwa told the media on Sunday that parents would only pay hostel fees following the decision taken in 2013 by the government to ban school fees in secondary schools. Former President Hifikepunye Pohamba introduced Free Universal Primary Education in 2013, while Free Universal Secondary Education was put on the cards.
Hanse-Himarwa said the government was improving the life of Namibians one step at a time. “First there was fee primary education, now we are going for free secondary education and the president recently called for study loans to be turned into grants. We are getting there,” she said.

President Hage Geingob has already hinted that the government was considering introducing free tertiary education as well as scrapping study loans.

Hanse-Himarwa was quoted by local media as saying all schools were expected to comply with the order once it is implemented. “It is a thing of one state school will comply and another not. There will be no negotiations about it, all state schools will comply,” she was quoted as saying. When primary school was declared free, enrolment shot up across the country by about 15 000. — Xinhua.