Education Ministry warns of school dropout crisis

The Executive Director in the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture, Sanet Steenkamp, has warned that school dropouts remain a concern in Namibia and across Africa.

Moreover, a survey conducted by the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) with community-based organizations revealed that 41 percent of respondents cited socio-economic factors as the primary reason for school dropouts.

According to the Namibia 2011 census, at least 103,768 children were out of school, with 13,082 at pre-primary level, 36,084 at primary school, 25,308 at junior secondary, and 29,294 at senior secondary level. Another contributing factor to the high dropout rates is the lack of basic needs, such as food and clothing. Steenkamp also noted that the World Bank has found a 90% living poverty rate across the African continent.