In Namibia, public education is offered
tuition free. However, that does not necessarily mean that success rates are
high. Many students don’t pass the 10th grade. In fact, the rate of
passing from the 10th to the 11th grade is less than 50%.
However, a curious trend has arisen in
Namibia of adults 25 years of age and older enrolling in secondary school to
continue education that they may have dropped out of or failed to advance in
when they were younger. This, the education minister insists, speaks to the
determination of peoples to obtain an education in order to better their lives.
These efforts should always be supported by the government.
The education minister lists a number of
options for adults who would like to re-enroll in secondary school. Any adult
should be allowed to re-enroll in the school that they were originally enrolled
in. For those who do not have this option, there is also a general adult
learning program in the city that can be enrolled in.
While these options seem promising, and
there is an increasing number of adult enrollees in secondary school in
Namibia, there is an underlying problem that lays unseen. There are many more
adults who desire to re-enroll in secondary education but cannot. Thousands are
denied re-enrollment, not because they do not qualify, but because there is
simply not enough space. Priority is given to younger students 17 and under to
enroll. And with limited funds and resources, adults attempting to better their
livelihoods may have to wait an inordinate amount of time for a spot to open up
for them.
~Scarlett
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