The information provided below was submitted as at 2020-05-27 09:47:54 by the Ministry of Higher Education, Technology & Innnovation of Namibia in responding to the AU Survey of Member States on Education Sector Response to COVID-19. The information is solely for experience sharing purposes and not to be used for other purposes without express permission of the African Union Commission.
| Country | Namibia |
| Ministry | Ministry of Higher Education, Technology & Innnovation |
| Education level handled by the Ministry | Tertiary Education, TVET |
| Number of Schools in Tertiary | 2 |
| Number of Schools in TVET | 7 |
| Does the Ministry have a COVID-19 response plan? | Yes |
| Objectives and Priorities of the COVID-19 response plan | Objectives 1) Ensure social distancing, hand sanitizers and face-mask regulations are adhered to. 2) Adjust academic calendars, research and development contribution to mitigate pandemic. Priorities 1) Administered measures to safeguard the operations of higher education institutions. 2) Guarantee continuation of teaching activities through distance education. 3) Ensure financial resources and other resources to continue learning. |
| Percentage estimate of Schools Closed | 90-100 |
| Percentage estimate of Students who are currently receiving Virtual/Distance Education | 50-69 |
| Methods for the provision of Distance/Virtual Education | Interaction through WhatsApp/Telegram or other social messaging applications between students and teachers, Online lessons via government owned e-learning portal, Online lessons via public-private partnership led e-learning portal |
| Specific Innovations which are being implemented | Ministry instituted university multi-sectoral teams to develop sanitizers and face-masks. |
| Number of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Institutions offering Distance-Virtual Education | 67 |
| Partners which are supporting the Ministry of Education to respond to COVID-19 | EU, UNESCO, UNICEF |
| Is there a plan for reopening schools? | Yes |
| Does the reopening plan include a back to School campaign? | Yes |
| Does the reopening plan include catch-up strategies for the school calendar and or curriculum? | Yes |
| Objectives and priorities of the plan to reopen Schools | All questions dealing with General/Basic Education will be answered by the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture |
| Is there a separate strategy/strategies for girls to catch up on their education due to the impact of COVID-19? | No |
| Challenges that have been encountered by the Ministry while responding to COVID-19 | Availability of Virtual Learning Technology Hardware and Infrastructure, Availability of Virtual Learning Software and learning platform, Internet Connectivity to support deployment Virtual Learning platforms, Technical capacity gaps for Virtual/Distance Education Support Personnel, Financing gaps. |
| Date Submitted | 27-05-2020 |
If you are interested in contacting the Ministry for further information, please contect This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Please note that any secondary use of this data is not allowed without seeking express permission of the African Union Commission.
