Namibian president announces free higher education, saying ‘fees have fallen’

Namibia’s first female president, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, announced during her inaugural state of the nation address that university fees will be eliminated by 2026 for public universities and technical colleges. While she stated that families would only need to cover accommodation and related costs, the lack of significant additional funding raised concerns about the initiative’s feasibility, prompting criticism from student organizations like the Affirmative Repositioning Student Command about the clarity and practicality of the plan.