Namibia: Graduates should strengthen their global competitiveness

Windhoek – Minister of Higher Education Dr. Itah Kandjii-Murangi said Namibia needed graduates who could promote knowledge and innovation, thereby strengthening its global competitiveness as a nation.

Likewise, she said Namibia needed highly qualified people to transform the economy, in line with the Harambee Prosperity Plan (HPP).

She made this statement yesterday at the official launch of the training project for strengthening capacity building of quality assurance in higher education in Africa.

The project aims to help 10 African states build their capacity for quality assurance and harmonization of efforts in different parts of the continent. About 100 quality assurance professionals from 12 accredited higher education institutions in Namibia, including other quality assurance agencies, the National Training Authority and the Council National Higher Education Institute participate in capacity building training.

She said that the funding and expertise provided by the states of Shenzhen and Unesco to the financing of this project, worth 48,000 euros (about 748,8 million Namibian dollars) ), were appreciated.

To ensure the quality and relevance of education, the Minister said that it was necessary to renew the commitment to constantly strengthen the higher education system in Namibia, in accordance with international standards , by establishing a quality culture managed through quality assurance frameworks also able to effectively measure performance.

With the assistance of international partners, she stated that Namibia would be able to further develop quality assurance mechanisms, implement the necessary programs and qualifications, and thus contribute to enhancing the transnational mobility of distance learning.

She said the importance of quality education can not be overstated.

"I therefore call on ministry-owned agencies, professional associations and the private sector to develop stronger and more cooperative relationships to help higher education institutions provide quality through strengthening." program and teaching capacity as part of the quality assurance process, "she said.

At the same event, Professor Kenneth Matengu, Vice Chancellor of the University of Namibia (Unam), said that national quality assurance agencies and institutions of higher education should put in place a more comprehensive type of systematic and dynamic quality improvement, in which evaluation actually triggers improvement.

He expressed concern about the proliferation of higher education institutions in Namibia and elsewhere in the world. Matengu students were able to choose from a wide variety of universities and colleges, taking into account the course offer and the cost of the various courses offered.

He said young people are desperate in the field of education because they see it as one of the few ways out of poverty and prosper.

"However, one must ask if students are getting value for money and if the courses for which they are accepted provide them with a foundation to acquire the necessary skills that will propel this country into an industrialized nation by 2030. The bottom line is that if we want to build strong, recognized and recognized universities around the world, we need to build quality assurance capabilities that meet international standards, "Matengu said.