Windhoek: The Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture has refuted reports that suggest Grade 9 learners in Namibia can progress through the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system to achieve university-level qualifications, including doctoral degrees.

According to Namibia Press Agency, the clarification was issued after an article in The Namibian newspaper suggested otherwise. Mbumba Erastus Haitengela, the Education Ministry’s Executive Director, stated that the article misrepresented the government’s policy on TVET progression pathways.

The ministry clarified that Grade 9 learners are not eligible for immediate entry into formal TVET institutions. They must first gain foundational and pre-vocational skills at Community Skills Development Centres like COSDEC, KAYEC, and Youth Skills Training Centres such as Berg Aukas, Frans Dimbare, Okahao Youth Centre, and Kai//Ganaxab.

‘These centres provide introductory technical training, workplace safety orientation, and hands-on exposure to different trades, which prepare learners for entry into the TVET system,’ the ministry stated.

The ministry’s release also emphasized that no national framework has been approved by Cabinet allowing Grade 9 learners to advance directly through the TVET system to obtain university-level qualifications, including doctoral degrees. While discussions to enhance TVET pathways are ongoing, no policy has been finalized.

Furthermore, the ministry reiterated that current minimum admission requirements for TVET institutions include NSSCO Grade 11 or Grade 12 qualifications with specific point thresholds and subject symbols in English, mathematics, and science. Physics or physical science remains a mandatory requirement for technical trade admissions.

Grade 9 certificates are only valid for entry into community skills development centres, and learners with pre-vocational subjects may be considered under certain conditions.

The ministry warned that inaccurate reporting could lead to confusion and false expectations among learners and parents concerning access to vocational and higher education.