Namibia Student Financial Assistance Fund (NSFAF) company secretary, Fillemon Immanuel, has announced that NSFAF, under the directive of the Office of the Prime Minister, is actively reviewing its funding policy to enhance inclusivity and equity.

Immanuel made these statements during the high-level tertiary education funding budget review dinner held in the capital on Thursday. The event was held under the theme ‘Funding Modalities in the Age of AI, Emerging Sectors, 4IR, and 5IR.’

‘We are looking at our funding policy with the intention of catering for those students that may be falling between the cracks, but I must say that even if we review this policy there will be a threshold against which the students will be measured to ensure quality and a return on investment,’ said Immanuel.

He urged business leaders and employers to encourage former NSFAF beneficiaries to contribute to the fund’s financial sustainability by repaying their loans.

‘We want to be able to complement what is allocated to us by gov
ernment and the one way to do so is through our recovery programme,’ he said.

He said NSFAF prioritises funding for studies of information technology, computer science, food technology, water engineering and telecommunication, which are closely linked to artificial intelligence and which will enable the attainment of an industrialised Namibia.

Minister of Higher Education, Training, and Innovation, Itah Kandjii-Murangi, emphasised Namibia’s commitment to leveraging technology for future needs through the TVET, Higher Education, and Innovation Policy Review.

‘The interaction of cyber-physical systems in industry 4.0 brings about smart manufacturing in which humans and machines reconcile and find a way to work together to improve the means and efficiency of production. These innovative technologies have the potential to revolutionise the energy sector by increasing productivity, enhancing safety, and cutting carbon dioxide emissions,’ said Kandjii-Murangi.

She added that it is imperative that universities a
nd other institutions of higher learning brace themselves to revolutionise their teaching approaches through the adoption of new technologies to produce the relevant skills for the oil and gas, as well as green energy, value chains.

Source: Namibia Press Agency

The Ministry of Education has completed the development of draft policy and legislative proposals for the implementation of the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms (PWPER) report and recommendations.

Consequently, Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu has invited stakeholders and the public to submit written memoranda on policy and legislative proposals for sustainable development in education, training, and research.

‘Pursuant to Article 10 and 232 of the Constitution on public participation, stakeholders and members of the public were encouraged to participate in the submission of any input they might have on the policy documents by March 15th, 2024,’ he stated.

In August 2023, the PWPER report was launched by President Dr. William Samoei Ruto. Chaired by Prof. Raphael M. Munavu, the Working Party examined the challenges affecting the education sector in Kenya and addressed among others access, relevance, equity and quality, governance and financing of education as well as experience i
n the implementation of Competency Based Education (CBE).

The 2024 Sessional Paper on a Policy Framework for Educational Reforms in Kenya repeals colonial education policies that provided inferior education and prepared natives for non-skilled labor and menial work.

This was meant to prepare them to serve at the bottom of society deepening racism, inequalities, imbalances in access, and discrimination against the natives.

Furthermore, Education, training, and research reforms present a diversity of cultures and traditions in knowledge and to champion Afrocentrism in the curriculum.

The policy provides holistic quality and inclusive education and training for transformation to a knowledge economy, supporting social cohesion, innovation, and sustainable development, and promotes and coordinates innovative, competence-based equitable learner-centered education, training, and research.

The national goals of education, training, and research aim at nationalism, and patriotism, promote national unity and accel
erate socio-economic development through innovation and skills. Thus, through education, training, and research, learners will be empowered to promote individual development and self-fulfilment, sound moral values, social equality and responsibility.

In conclusion, Kenya’s rich and diverse cultures will develop as a result of the culmination of the national education goals, which translate to international consciousness which fosters positive attitudes towards other nations, good health, and environmental protection.

Source: Kenya News Agency