Re-educating Namibia: The Early Years of Radical Education Reform, 1990-1995

Following independence, the Namibian government saw primary education reform as a principal means of investing in human capital to promote socioeconomic development. This paper analyzes the efforts made during the first five years of the reform program. While emphasis on structural change, learner-centered education, and universality provided strong foundations for a democratic educational system, a difficult medium of instruction policy and insufficient attention to gender equity delayed a comprehensive transformation. This analysis calls for greater educator participation in implementing the pedagogical approach, altering the language-of-instruction policy, greater gender equity in resource allocation, and greater attention to sex and AIDS education.