Professor Admire Mare
ON Sunday, 25 February 2024, Namibia and the rest of the continent bade farewell to one of its most illustrious, industrious and committed African liberation struggle cadres, President Hage Gottfried Geingob who died after succumbing to cancer soon after returning from treatment in the United States of America. If there is one golden thread that summarises his life, it is his selfless public service to this great continent. Rising through the ranks until he became the third president of Namibia in 2015 was no mean feat for a person born in a peasant environment. He navigated many insurmountable challenges until he was appointed Namibia’s Prime Minister twice – from 1990 to 2002, and between 2012-2015.
Between 2008 and 2012, Geingob served as Minister of Trade and Industry. All these appointments testify to his exemplary work ethic, commitment to public service and above all, his loyalty to the struggle for political and economic independence.
Although he was born a peasant, Geingob never allowed his
background to become his Achilles’ heel. He also never allowed anti-black and colonial policies to pull him
down. Instead, he used his youthful energy to fight racist and segregationist policies associated with apartheid and colonialism. He leaves a legacy worthy emulating for all the young Namibians and Africans across space and time. A legacy of fighting for social justice at whatever cost. A legacy of never giving up for a better, prosperous and united country and continent. A legacy of believing in a better tomorrow. A legacy of never allowing one’s background to be a hinderance to a better future.
A lot has been written while eulogising the late president for his nation-building, political and constitution-making contributions, yet very few commentators and thought leaders have reflected on his educational achievements and
reforms he championed in a bid to transform Namibia into an educational hub in the region.
In this eulogy, I intend to shed
light on President Geingob – the educationist par excellence – who through his own educational achievements inspired many to aspire for great things but also desired to see intellectual capabilities being used to transform and reconfigure public service in post-apartheid Namibia.
To make this poignant point, I rely on a news article published by The Namibian in March 2021, where the late President was quoted as having said, “I would like to appoint ministers who have PhDs into my new Cabinet… but the current Swapo party list does not present me with desirable options.”
This statement can be read as criticism of the relatively low educational qualifications of people who make it as members of
parliament within the ruling party.
It can also be viewed as a veiled attack of the cadre deployment system
where party loyalty and service is more important than one’s
educational qualifications when it comes to political mobility.
Predictably, the aforementioned statement uttered just before his inauguration for the second term ignited an inferno. It culminated in heated online discussions on platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp and X (formerly Twitter). Some Namibians were of the opinion that academic qualifications and politics are like water and oil, they don’t mix. Others totally dismissed the idea of appointing ministers and other public servants on the basis of their educational qualifications. Other interlocutors who were part of online chatter pointed out that Cabinet posts should be given to deserving and qualified Namibians who possess leadership skills, managerial experience and critical and analytical skills. Some even went as far as mentioning the importance of appointing people like Dr Job Amupanda, Dr Bernard Haufiku and Prof Joseph Diescho in government.
Yet, others warned against taking this route because it has the unintentional consequences of perpetuating of intellectual apartheid. This somehow makes sense in a country where apartheid was responsible for creating opportunities for the few and poverty for the majority. The overarching argument in this online chatter was that one’s possession of higher education qualifications does not automatically translate into leadership skills and public service competencies.
Namibians even went as far as highlighting that there are many Cabinet ministers with no PhDs who were delivering results for the country. It was emphasised that performance evaluation of each minister was invaluable in order to ensure that key performance areas and indicators are met. Overall, this conversation highlighted the diverse views of Namibians on the importance of education in what has been described as the ‘knowledge economy’ or ‘information society’.
I make this point in order to connect the dots. President Geingob was a firm believer in the transformative power of education. He knew very well that Namibia needed a highly skilled civil service to deal with the deep-seated and multi-pronged challenges of the 21st century.
In making what turned out to be a controversial statement, Dr Geingob was simply reminding Namibians on the importance of higher education. This is even more critical given the complex geo-economic and political landscape that public servants have to navigate.
His educational journey
There is little space here to provide a thoroughgoing analysis of the educational journey of the late president. Suffice it is noteworthy to highlight that he was educated in public schools in Otavi. He later studied Augustineum in Windhoek. Due to his political consciousness and activism, he was expelled for taking part in protest where he and others complained about the poor quality of education and food. He was later readmitted at Augustineum, where he finished his secondary education before enrolling for a teacher training course in 1961. Focused on sharing his knowledge and expertise with other Namibians, he took up the post of a primary school teacher in Tsumeb. Although he was expected to promote and sanitise the racist Bantu Education System, as a primary school teacher, he deeply resented the colonial project and its anti-black outlook.
Realising that the Bantu education system had no liberatory potential for the colonized, he left his job to seek for transformative knowledge in the
global North. The idea was for him and his colleagues to get liberatory knowledge that could assist them to change the colonial and apartheid systems. The quest for decolonised education took Geingob to Botswana, United States of America and the
United Kingdom. He ended up studying and living in exile for 27 years.
He seamlessly juggled his political activism and educational journey throughout his stay outside of Namibia. He studied at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The university was started by a Baptist minister, Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia in 1884. It is widely known for its progressive vision to provide superior educational opportunities for academically talented and highly motivated students, regardless of their backgrounds or means. He also studied at Fordham University and The New School where he obtained BA and MA degrees. Armed with education, Geingob was appointed Swapo representative at the United Nations and to the Americas. This position allowed him to learn more about diplomacy, international affairs and advocacy. Because of the experience amassed over time, he was able to assume the positions of political affairs officer, and director within the United Nations system. His teaching background also came in handy especially in the training of cadres who could take over the civil service of Namibia upon independence. Educational policies and reforms
Upon being elected the third President of Namibia, Geingob implemented the Harambee Prosperity Plan (HPP) 1. This development blueprint, which launched in 2016, was expected to run until 2020. In 2021, he launched HPP II which is expected to end in 2025. At the core of this plan were five pillars. These were effective governance, economic advancement, social progression, infrastructure development and international relations and cooperation. For the purposes of this article, it is important to focus on the social progression pillar which underscored the need for quality higher education and training. It was during the tenure of President Geingob when the Polytechnic of Namibia was transformed into a fully-fledged university. It was also during his tenure that private universities like the International University of Management (IUM) were licensed. Private colleges like Triumphant became household names. In his first term as President, higher education institutions received generous subsidies from the state. The ambitious plan set targets on how to improve access to quality education and sports. Geingob was
very intentional in underscoring the need to provide quality vocational education and training (VET). This thrust was vigorously promoted by the Ministry of Higher Education and Training. Higher education institutions such as the Namibia University of Science and Technology were at the forefront of rolling out TVET related degrees and diplomas. Departments were set up, qualifications accredited, and lecturers were recruited from across the globe.
As the HPP document clearly stated, “…the rationale to prioritises and invest in VET is strong and convincing and stems from the recognition of VET as a source of skills, knowledge and technology needed to drive productivity in knowledge-based and transitional societies for the twenty-first century”. Besides investing financial and human resources in TVET education, Geingob promoted science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. This is evident in the institutes and centres of excellence set up at the University of Namibia and Namibia University of Science and Technology. At the height of global pandemic, Geingob established the High-Level Research Coordination task force (HILREC) on Covid-19. The task force was instrumental in conducting research and giving policy advice to the government at a time the Covid-19 virus was wreaking havoc.
He was a futurist. He established the Presidential Task Force on the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) led by Prof Anicia Peters. At the time of his untimely death, he was championing the setting up of the Namibia Green Hydrogen Research Institute (NGHRI). The main objective of the institute is to acquire the knowledge necessary to safely and efficiently scale up green hydrogen production.
These and many other initiatives which I have not discussed in this piece demonstrate the forward-looking approach to education, research and development in Namibia. Future generations will read about his contributions to Namibia and Africa. His name will be mentioned among people who worked hard to provide affordable and quality higher education for Namibians. Go well, Mr. President. You have fought a good fight. Now, it is left for the current and future generations to build on your indelible legacy.
* Professor Admire Mare is a technology and society thought leader as well as a Pan-Africanist scholar. He is an associate professor and head of department: Communication and Media Studies, University Johannesburg.