Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698746762820.pdf (Namibia)
REPUBLIC OF NAMIBIA MINISTRY OF HIGHER EDUCATION, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION BUDGET SPEECH FINANCIAL YEAR 2021/22 VOTE 32 Honourable Dr. Itah Kandjii-Murangi, MP Minister of Higher Education, Technology and Innovation 22 April 2021 BUDGET SPEECH VOTE 32 – 2021/22 FINANCIAL YEAR 1 Honourable Chairperson of the Whole House Committee, Honourable Members, Introduction I rise to motivate to this august House the proposed budgetary allocation to Vote 32, Ministry of Higher Education, Technology and Innovation (MHETI), for the 2021/22 Financial Year.
The painful effects of COVID 19 pandemic coupled with the severe current economic hardships, have negatively impacted the 2020 /21 budget.
Notwithstanding these challenges, the Government of the Republic of Namibia has remained committed and resolute in its quest to: 1) expand access; 2) improve quality; 3) develop teacher education; 4) integrate relevant new smart technologies in the formal education space; BUDGET SPEECH VOTE 32 – 2021/22 FINANCIAL YEAR 2 5) develop structures, systems, processes and procedures that embed transparency and fairness in the distribution of the limited public funds to support eligible students at tertiary level.
The total allocation to Vote 32 is N$3.1 billion, of which EIGHT HUNDRED AND EIGHTY TWO MILLION NAMIBIAN DOLLARS (N$882 Million) is earmarked for the University of Namibia (UNAM), FOUR-HUNDRED AND NINETY THREE MILLION SIX HUNDRED THOUSAND NAMIBIAN DOLLARS (N$493,600,000.00), for the Namibia University of Science and ONE BILLION TWO HUNDRED NAMIBIAN DOLLARS (N$1.2 billion) for the Namibia Student Financial Assistance Fund (NSFAF).
Tertiary Education System has two (2) important and distinct Streams: a) General Academic Education, aimed at knowledge creation, application and transfer, and b) Vocational Technical Education, targeted at technical skills’ development and utility.

The Tertiary Education Phase is very crucial and decisive, for it maps out the educational and career pathways for students.
BUDGET SPEECH VOTE 32 – 2021/22 FINANCIAL YEAR 3 Honourable Chairperson of the Whole House Committee, Honourable Members, Summary of 2020/2021 Tertiary Enrollment Statistics In line with our Ministry’s mandate and with the purpose to inform the Honorable members of Parliament and the public, let me give you high level statistical reflections on the enrollment figures at the Tertiary Level: i) A total of 68,757 students are currently enrolled in the HIGHER education sector locally and internationally; ii) TVET trainees increased from 32,120 in 2019/20 to 34,920 in 2020/21.
iii) There has been an increase in local tertiary institutions’ GRADUATES, from 11 528 in 2019/ 20 to 12 104 in 2020/21.

iv) 32 849 students were awarded loans through NSFAF to pursue tertiary education at local and foreign institutions during the 2020/21 financial year.

Summary of 2020/2021 Activities and Achievements BUDGET SPEECH VOTE 32 – 2021/22 FINANCIAL YEAR 4 In discharging our Ministry’s mandate, some notable achievements were recorded in our programmes.
I now move to outline some of the achievements, challenges for the past financial year and the plans for 2021/22.

Programme 1: Coordination and Support Services Our Ministry is seized with the process of reviewing existing policies to align them with contemporary industry demands for the Education and Training Sector and to develop new policies where policy gaps have been identified.

In this regard, some national policies were recently approved, while others are yet to be tabled to Cabinet.
The National Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Policy and The National Space Science and Technology Policy are approved by Cabinet.

The plight of student accommodation in the City of Windhoek led the Government already in 2019/20 Financial Year, through MHETI, to engage different stakeholders, including the Windhoek Municipality, to look into the construction of a Student Village for Tertiary Education students in Windhoek.
BUDGET SPEECH VOTE 32 – 2021/22 FINANCIAL YEAR 5 The services of a Transactional Advisor have been procured to provide much needed technical services in realizing this important project in Khomasdal, Extension 16.

Moreover, good progress is being realized.

Therefore, an amount of TWENTY-TWO MILLION NAMIBIAN DOLLARS (N$22,000,000) is requested for this programme.
Honourable Chairperson of the Whole House Committee, Honourable Members, Programme 2: HIGHER EDUCATION The total budget of ONE BILLION TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY EIGHT MILLION FIVE HUNDRED EIGHTY FOUR THOUSAND AND THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY ONE NAMIBIAN DOLLARS (N$1,238,584,351) was availed to eligible Namibians.
With 13,121 new students getting FOUR HUNDRED AND FORTY ONE MILLION THREE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY THOUSAND AND FIVE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY NINE NAMIBIAN DOLLARS (N$441,377,589), and 21 371 continuing students taking SEVEN MILLION TWO HUNDRED AND SIX THOUSAND AND SEVEN BUDGET SPEECH VOTE 32 – 2021/22 FINANCIAL YEAR 6 HUNDRED AND SIXTY TWO NAMIBIAN DOLLARS (N$797,206,762).

The NSFAF Payment Card was introduced by Bank Windhoek as a payment solution method.
The Card has made it possible for students to have access to their non-tuition fees timely.

Through support from Debmarine, UNAM has set up a COVID 19 testing laboratory.

The Lab is assisting the Ministry of Health and Social Services with COVID tests.

UNAM was amongst the first local institutions to produce high quality and effective sanitizers.

NUST is committed to taking the brand to Karas and Ohangwena Regions where a phased-in approach would be deployed to offer programmes.
NUST FabLab manufactured COVID Face Shields and Desk Shields and also, developed four (4) COVID 19 Apps: info website; self-reporting symptoms; contact tracing and patient diary.

Honourable Chairperson of the Whole House Committee, Honourable Members, BUDGET SPEECH VOTE 32 – 2021/22 FINANCIAL YEAR 7 I wish to bring it to the attention of the Honourable Members of Parliament that, the advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution is real.
And that, implicitly and explicitly, the 4IR places a heavy burden on countries Education Systems to embrace, integrate relevant smart technologies and advance knowledge in Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Neotechnology, or ignore it at their own peril.

The two public universities have developed programmes and projects to advance the 4IR agenda and need support.

Therefore, an amount of TWO BILLION SIX HUNDRED AND FIFTY MILLION NAMIBIAN DOLLARS (N$2,650,000,000) is requested for this programme.
This translates into the following breakdown: i) Eight-Hundred and Eighty-One Million Five Hundred Thousand Namibian Dollars (N$881,500,000.00) for the University of Namibia; ii) Four-Hundred and Ninety Three Million Six Hundred Thousand Namibian Dollars (N$493,600,000.00) for the Namibia University of Science and Technology; and BUDGET SPEECH VOTE 32 – 2021/22 FINANCIAL YEAR 8 iii) One Billion Two Hundred Million Namibian Dollars (N$1,200,000,000.00) for the Namibian Students Financial Assistance Fund.
Honourable Chairperson of the Whole House Committee, Honourable Speaker, Programme 3: VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING There is expanded access to the TVET Stream.

In the previous financial year, 32 120 trainees were enrolled into VET programmes countrywide.

This figure today stands at 34 920, exceeding the HPP target.

A number of TVET Centers are being upgraded and new ones are under construction, all in a bid to take Education and Training to the Regions.
Government is committed to making sure that, Education and Training is taken to the rural masses of our country.

Valombola, Zambezi, Eenhana, Nakayale and Gobabis TVET Centers and the Kai //Ganaxab Youth Center, are being expanded.

BUDGET SPEECH VOTE 32 – 2021/22 FINANCIAL YEAR 9 Construction of new TVET Centers is on course, in Kunene, Karas and Kavango West Regions.

The northern TVET Hub is fast taking shape.


I thus thank our development partners in the TVET Sector, the European Union, the German Government and others.

Therefore, an amount of FOUR HUNDRED AND TWO MILLION FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND NAMIBIAN DOLLARS (N$402,500,000 million) is requested for the Namibia Training Authority.
Programme 4: RESEARCH, SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION Namibia still has limited national human capital, infrastructure and adequate funding for research, science and technology to achieve national goals advocated in V2030, NDP 5 and other National Policy Frameworks.

Significant investment is needed for research and development.

BUDGET SPEECH VOTE 32 – 2021/22 FINANCIAL YEAR 10 An amount of THIRTY THREE MILLION NAMIBIAN DOLLARS (N$33 million) is requested for this programme.
Honourable Chairperson of the Whole House Committee, Honourable Members, Programme 5: National Commission for UNESCO Namibia plays an important role in governance at UNESCO, as Chair of the African Group.

This gives a voice to the Member States in Africa, especially to Namibia to drive initiatives linked to Agenda 2063 and the five fields of competence of UNESCO.

The World Press Freedom Day will be celebrated and commemorated in Windhoek, to coincide with the 30th Anniversary of the Windhoek Declaration.
A global event that heightens Namibia’s stance on the expression of expression and guaranteeing the freedom of journalists.

Namibia will also participate in the 41st session of the UNESCO General Conference at the end of 2021 in Paris, France.

BUDGET SPEECH VOTE 32 – 2021/22 FINANCIAL YEAR 11 It is worth noting that the Namibia National Commission for UNESCO will celebrate its 30th Anniversary in January 2022.
An amount of THIRTEEN MILLION SEVEN HUNDRED AND THIRTY ONE THOUSAND NAMIBIAN DOLLARS (N$13,371,000 million) is requested for this programme.

Honourable Chairperson of the Whole House Committee, Honourable Members, This is in short a summary of our programmes under Vote 32, Ministry of Higher Education, Technology and Innovation.
May I now present Budget Vote 32, MHETI for the 2021/22 financial year, which amounts to THREE BILLION ONE HUNDRED AND FOURTY SEVEN MILLION THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND NAMIBIAN DOLLARS (N$3,147,300,000 million), for your kind consideration and approval.

I THANK YOU.

BUDGET SPEECH VOTE 32 – 2021/22 FINANCIAL YEAR 12