TIRI MASAWI
Minister of education, innovation, youth, sport, arts, and culture Sanet Steenkamp is pushing for full control of all the departments under her ministry.
Before the current administration of President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, education and sport were run as separate ministries. Now they have been merged into one large ministry but cracks appear to be already showing.
Education minister Steenkamp says the new structure is still fragmented, with departments operating in silos instead of as one system. Steenkamp told the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Youth, Civic Relations and Community Development last week that the ministry has been trying to get a new structure approved for about a year through the Office of the Prime Minister.
“We wanted full integration. For example, we want Namibia Student Financial Assistance Fund’s (NSFAF) human resources to be the same as the ministry’s,” she said.
However, she said the NSFAF was approved as a separate department, with its own structure and 91 staff members.
She wants all departments fully integrated to improve efficiency and management.
Steenkamp said the current setup creates duplication, especially in procurement and human resources.
Steenkamp said some departments, including sports, youth and national service, are also still operating separately.
“Those departments were approved on their own and are not integrated with finance and administration of the ministry,” she said.
She said this means the ministry is still not operating as one system, as originally planned.
“It’s still departmentalised. We wanted one procurement system and shared skills, but that has not happened,” she said.
She added that while a structure has now been approved, it is not what the ministry had hoped for.
“We have a structure, but it’s not what we wanted,” she said.
BUDGET CONCERNS
The ministry has been allocated N$28.7 billion for the 2026/27 financial year. Of this, N$28 billion is for education, innovation, arts and culture.
Steenkamp said the budget is still not enough to meet expectations and targets.
The allocation includes N$2.8 billion for subsidised tertiary education, N$939 million for development projects, and N$750 million for sport and youth services.
Public universities, the University of Namibia (UNAM) and the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST), received N$2.53 billion.
The ministry also plans to use N$939 million for school infrastructure and other development projects.
Another N$2.8 billion will go towards easing pressure in schools by building classrooms and related infrastructure.
CONCERNS OVER FULL MERGER
Public policy analyst Ndumba Kamwanyah warned that fully merging all departments may not bring the efficiency the minister expects.
He said a larger structure could weaken accountability.
“When things go wrong, it becomes harder to know who is responsible,” he said.
He also warned that service delivery could slow down due to more approval layers.
Kamwanyah said staff morale could drop if roles become unclear or if departments feel they lose their identity.
He added that fully integrating NSFAF into the ministry could affect how quickly it operates.
“Student funding often needs quick decisions. A central system may delay this and could reduce trust over time,” he said.
He also warned that combining many sectors under one ministry could stretch leadership.
“Basic education, tertiary education, innovation, sports and culture all compete for attention. One area could dominate while others are neglected,” he said.
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