Education minister reflects on demanding public office and completing PhD

By: Abigail Basson

Education Minister Dr Sanet Steenkamp said she had to put her doctoral studies on hold shortly after enrolling in the programme in 2015 due to the demands of public office.

Despite this, the minister, during an engagement last week, encouraged students to pursue their studies not merely to obtain a qualification or title, but to serve society and make a meaningful impact.

Steenkamp was speaking at a joint public lecture between the Namibian University of Science and Technology (NUST) and the University of Namibia last Thursday, themed: “A Journey of Turbulence and Transformation.

Steenkamp described her PhD journey as “a difficult journey that was deeply enlightening and very rewarding.”

She finally obtained a Doctor of Philosophy in Education from Rhodes University in October 2025.

The lecture created a space for engagement between students and the minister through an interactive question-and-answer session, with students seeking insight into the coping mechanisms that sustained the minister, while others questioned the responsibility that accompanies academic success and how qualifications translate into tangible impact.

Steenkamp reflected on her journey, saying that after enrolling in the programme, she also had to navigate a supervisory role along the way.

In 2015, Steenkamp was the Permanent Secretary, now known as executive director, in the ministry of education. She also rose through the ranks to become deputy minister and later education minister.

Steenkamp further cited Covid-19 as a setback, saying it brought her research to an abrupt pause as schools closed countrywide.

Despite these challenges, she completed her studies, and her thesis, titled’ Expanding the leadership of learning support teachers in resource schools: A formative intervention study in Namibia’, focused on Moreson and Dagbreek resource schools.

The minister said many teachers in special education are undermined, underestimated, and undervalued, despite their expertise and daily impact.