WINDHOEK, October 12 — Namibia has launched a five-year strategic plan aimed at improving education quality, expanding youth employment opportunities, strengthening sports development and promoting innovation, arts and culture as part of efforts to accelerate national development towards Vision 2030.
Deputy Minister of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture, Dino Ballotti, officially presented the Ministry’s Strategic Plan 2025–2030 in Windhoek, describing it as a significant milestone that brings together the mandates of three formerly separate ministries under one coordinated framework. The plan seeks to improve service delivery through stronger partnerships, innovative programmes and equitable access to opportunities for all Namibians.
Ballotti said the strategy is built around eight pillars, including equitable access to quality education, excellence in teaching and learning, youth empowerment, sports development, sustainable creative industries, infrastructure development, research and technological innovation, and effective governance. He acknowledged persistent challenges, including funding shortages, inadequate school infrastructure, limited internet connectivity in rural areas and low learner retention and completion rates, stressing that identifying these obstacles was essential to addressing them.
Highlighting progress made during the 2025/26 financial year, Ballotti said the Namibia School Feeding Programme reached 500,371 learners, exceeding its target of 497,749. The Namibia Students Financial Assistance Fund received 41,322 applications in 2025 and provided financial assistance to 30,223 students, while 39,308 first-year students received award letters under the subsidised tertiary education funding model for the 2026 academic year. Technical and vocational education and training also recorded growth, with enrolment increasing from 23,870 to 26,875 trainees in 2025.
The Ministry has also advanced youth empowerment and sports development, training 1,032 young people in entrepreneurship and business management, while 28 youth enterprises received funding under the Constituency Youth Enterprises Programme. In sports, 160 elite Namibian athletes signed national and international contracts, while 99 high-performance coaches received accreditation. Namibia was also confirmed as a host of six matches of the 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, an opportunity expected to strengthen the country’s sporting profile.
On infrastructure, Ballotti reported that 71 permanent classrooms and 106 pre-primary classrooms had been constructed across the country’s 14 regions. New primary schools were completed in Tsaraxa-Aibes, Swakopmund and Otavi, while the inauguration of the Namibia University of Science and Technology’s Lüderitz campus expanded access to programmes in engineering, tourism, logistics and management. In research and innovation, scientific publications increased by 18.5%, from 747 to 885, while Namibia completed its Artificial Intelligence Readiness Assessment and established the National AI Institute in Windhoek.
Looking ahead, the Ministry plans to construct 148 permanent classrooms and 66 pre-primary classrooms before the 2027 academic year, alongside the development of 25 new schools across 10 regions to address overcrowding. Other priorities include connecting an additional 300 schools to the internet, upgrading vocational training centres into colleges offering qualifications up to National Qualifications Framework Level 6, expanding student accommodation and restoring the Alte Feste as a cultural and historical centre.
Ballotti emphasised that the success of the strategic plan would depend on accountability and collective participation from government officials, development partners, the private sector, teachers, parents, learners and young people. He called on all stakeholders to align their programmes with the Ministry’s priorities and help address challenges affecting service delivery.
He concluded that while the plan establishes a clear framework for the Ministry’s work towards 2030, its real value would be measured by tangible improvements in the lives of Namibians, particularly learners, students and young people seeking education, skills and employment opportunities.
