WINDHOEK, June 9– The Namibian government has allocated an additional 247 million Namibian dollars (about 15 million U.S. dollars) to the Namibia Students Financial Assistance Fund to accelerate delayed student payments under the country’s newly introduced subsidized tertiary education scheme.
Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Sanet Steenkamp announced the funding in a statement to the National Assembly on Tuesday, as the government moves to address widespread delays in the disbursement of non-tuition allowances under the Subsidized Tertiary Education Funding (STEF) model.
Steenkamp acknowledged frustration among students, saying extensive consultations had been held with higher education institutions, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) centers, and student representative bodies to ensure that no student is unfairly disadvantaged during the transition period.
According to the minister, the government successfully subsidized registration and tuition fees at the start of the academic year, but the processing of non-tuition allowances began in April, coinciding with the receipt of invoices from higher education institutions.
To speed up payments, verification and processing mechanisms have been strengthened, with outstanding non-tuition allowances for qualifying continuing students expected to be finalized by mid-July.
Steenkamp said the government had earlier advanced 156 million Namibian dollars to higher education institutions and TVET centers to facilitate student registration and support institutional operations during the initial rollout of the STEF model.
Namibia launched the STEF model in December 2025 as part of a policy to provide fully subsidized tertiary education and expand access to higher learning. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
