WINDHOEK, Dec. 15– Namibia’s Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture (MEIYSAC) on Monday warned against the unauthorized operations of home-schooling and private education in the country.
The ministry expressed concern over unregistered institutions claiming to regulate home-schooling and private schools in Namibia, especially in the Erongo Region.
“Any representation or suggestion that serves as a regulatory body is incorrect and should be disregarded by the public,” MEIYSAC Executive Director Mbumba Haitengela, who is also the chairperson of the National Examinations, Assessment and Certification Board, said in a statement.
According to Haitengela, home-schooling, as defined in the Basic Education Act (2020), refers to educational instruction provided by parents/caregivers or privately appointed tutors who teach a learner at home using a legally approved curriculum, instead of enrolling the learner in a public or private school.
“A private school, according to the act, is a school established, maintained, owned, or operated by private individuals or institutions at the expense of the owner, and must be registered with MEIYSAC,” he added.
In light of this, he said any individual or private institution providing education to children from other families is operating as a private school, not as a home-schooling arrangement.
“If such an institution is not registered with MEIYSAC, its operations are illegal,” he added, urging parents who wish to home-school their children to apply directly to MEIYSAC for approval.
The ministry, meanwhile, urged the public to take note of this notice and rely exclusively on official ministry communication. (Namibia Daily News/Xinhua)
