Munionganda Kaujeua
The increasing number of private higher learning institutions with their somewhat accommodative admission scales, coincidently with the introduction of the new curriculum with two exist points, has created a market for these private institutions to flourish. The question, however, is do we regard this as good people who came to rescue the young ones, or the bad guys who came to profit at the expense of our desperate young ones?
The bad
Most students who opt to go to the private institutions are those who do not meet the minimum requirements for a degree from the only two and biggest public universities, Unam and NUST, which is 25 points in 5 subjects, including English with a D or E grade or better. Although these students have an opportunity to improve their matric results, the urge to be labelled as university students gets the best of them and they thus enrol at the private institutions, creating an opportunity for the capitalists to exploit. Much worse, they will enrol them for certificate first thae diploma then ultimately a degree, hence spending seven years. This does not come cheap, and most of the time these students do not qualify for NSFAF funding, meaning the parents have to take loans or sell their assets to enrol their children. This is all fine if employment prospects are looking positive, but with the high unemployment rates in the country, this a big issue. However, those who own these private institutions have nothing but smiles all the way to the banks.
The good
The new universities bring hope to the hopeless. They provide an alternative by contributing to human capital, hence making strides towards a knowledge-based economy. The establishment of these universities also creates employment, both direct and indirect, such as lecturing positions, administration, cleaners, etc. The entrance of these new universities increases competition, thus increasing the number of courses offered and thereby expanding the higher learning horizons. Universities will become more innovative and creative, as each university will try to attract as many students as possible.
In conclusion, we are at a critical juncture, and it is a matter of stepping up from all fronts to steer our economic machine. We are long past the time period when black Namibians where mainly studying to be nurses or teachers only. We have come a long way, and our youth have more opportunities now, spanning from careers that were predominantly white such as medical doctors, chartered accountants, engineers to artistic courses, and business. The unemployment problem is becoming less to do with the education system and more so to do with the macroeconomic environment. If we can figure out how to expand our economy by implementing more market-friendly policies to attract firms from different sectors to absorb the graduates, we will indeed solve the unemployment crisis. What would be the point of having a knowledge-based economy if we cannot extract it? What is the point of having a carpenter or computer scientist graduate working as a shopkeeper or security guard? We will greatly benefit from the new entrance of higher learning private institutions if we develop a wider accommodative macroeconomic environment. Otherwise, we will suffer from a brain drain.
* Munionganda Kaujeua is a final-year economics student at the University of Namibia.