Namibia is a country in Southwestern Africa, known for its vast deserts, rugged terrain and rich wildlife. It is bordered by Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east, South Africa to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The country covers an area of approximately 825,615 square kilometres. Namibia’s length from north to south is about 1,300 kilometres, and its width from east to west varies between 480 and 1,000 kilometres. The Namib Desert, one of the oldest deserts in the world, stretches along its coastline. According to the 2023 Population and Housing Census, Namibia has a total population of 3,022,401 people, with 1,474,224 males and 1,548,177 females. With regards to young children, 160,625 (80,115 males and 80,510 females) are children under 1 year old, while 415,477 (207,166 males and 208,311 females) are children 0–4 years old, and 724,436 (360,809 males and 363,627 females) are children 0–8 years old (Namibia Statistics Agency, 2023). Thus, almost a quarter (24%) of the Namibian population forms the early childhood population.
Integrated early childhood development (IECD) in Namibia is guided by the National Integrated Early Childhood Development Policy of 2007. The IECD policy defines ECD as a set of integrated interventions aimed at holistic care, development and protection of the child. IECD views all aspects of children’s development holistically, including a child’s cognitive, social, emotional and physical development. The goal of IECD is to make provision for family and community-based sustainable and integrated ECD programs that are accessible to all young children and their families, with a special focus on the development of IECD programs for young children living in difficult circumstances.
The IECD in Namibia covers children 0–8 years of age. According to the policy, the Ministry of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare (MGEPESW) leads initiatives for children 0–4 years old. The Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) is responsible for all aspects related to health and nutrition, including establishing standards for the monitoring of health, nutrition, growth, immunization, sanitation and hygiene among young children in ECD facilities and home-based care settings.
Services for 5–8-year-olds, including one year of pre-primary education, as well as training and curriculum development, are under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture (MoEAC). These learners are found in more formal learning settings, mostly in public schools. Although some 5–6-year-olds can still be found in community, private and home care.
The majority of ECD centres are community-based and informal or not registered with the MGEPESW. IECD services are extremely limited in Namibia, especially in rural areas. Thus, in Namibia, there are public community-based ECD centres, private ECD centres, home-based daycare centres (private) and ECD centres owned by churches. The fees depend on the catchment area of the ECD centres; for example, in more prosperous areas, fees are very expensive, while in poorer areas, fees are affordable for those communities. Private ECD centres are more expensive than community- and church- or NGO-funded ECD centres
Most ECD centres use the predominant local language of the community as the language of instruction according to the language policy (especially in rural areas). These local languages include Oshikwanyama, Oshindonga, Otjiherero, Afrikaans, Rukwangali, Silozi, Rumanyo, Thimbukushu, Setswana, Ju|’hoansi, and Khoekhoegowab. English is mostly used in towns and urban areas. The language policy for schools does not include ECD or kindergarten, but centres have taken the initiative to use the local language as much as possible. In Namibia, 14 languages are used in schools. Namibian Sign Language and German are also recognized as Namibian languages and are taught in ECD centres and public schools.
The MGEPESW developed a curriculum for children in Namibia aged 0–2 years for use in homes and ECD centres and a resource guide for educarers, parents and caregivers. Three–four-year-old children use the Curriculum Framework for Children in Namibia Aged 3 and 4 Years, while the MoEAC developed the pre-primary syllabus for 5–6-year olds used in pre-primary classrooms. On the other hand, some private ECD centres use private curricula. In the case of the curriculum for 3–4-year-olds, ECD centres are not always well informed and lack the knowledge and skills to implement the curriculum. Similarly, for 5–6-year-olds, children’s curriculum in the community, private-owned ECD centres in rural areas. The integration of 5–6-year-olds in pre-schools under the MoEAC has been ongoing, although there are challenges such as the lack of classrooms at primary schools, especially in urban areas. Rural areas are better off, as they have space at schools. There is a similar proposition to transfer 3–4-year-olds to the MoEAC in the future (National Curriculum for Basic Education, 2018). The idea is for new ECD centres to be established near existing primary schools for collaboration and support in both age groups.
The community liaison officers from the MGEPESW visit the community ECD centres in their constituencies quarterly (but these visits are carried out as time and funds are available) as part of their workload to monitor whether they adhere to the Namibian Standards for ECD Centres of 2012; these visits in their constituencies are mostly during the National ECD Survey. Many of these community liaison officers do not always have the required expertise in ECEC. Their expertise lies more strongly in the areas of community empowerment and income-generating activities. ECD centres should be registered with the MGEPESW and should be in line with the national standards for ECD centres. The community liaison officers check the attendance register, parent meetings held and the lessons presented. For educarers who receive subsidies from MGEPESW, the community liaison officer checks these documents monthly so that they can receive their monthly subsidy. Private ECD centres are inspected only during ECD surveys. Pre-primary classes attached to primary schools are inspected and monitored by the HoDs, principal, pre-primary advisors in the 14 regions and school inspectors. For example, the City of Windhoek monitors the registration and administration in terms of the infrastructure of all ECD centres, as well as maintaining the standards of ECD centres in the city. They also offer basic in-service training to new staff members at ECD centres.
The curriculum framework for children in Namibia aged 0–2 and 3–4 years aims to respond to the needs, rights and interests of children and establishes guidelines for educators to help develop healthy, well-balanced children who can communicate, explore and investigate the world. The principles of the curriculum framework constitute the rights of children, holistic and child-centred development, centrality of play for learning, positive and secure relationships, health and wellbeing, and a safe and caring environment. This is for early stimulation and learning.
The pre-primary curriculum is designed to guide 5–6-year-old children through a learner-centred approach in the most efficient manner according to their own ability to cope with the formal learning situation in primary grades. The inclusion of all the learning areas in an integrated manner will contribute towards the acquisition of knowledge and understanding as well as skills and attitudes necessary for laying the foundation for a successful school career. The pre-primary syllabus aims to provide a balanced, relevant and coherent program of learning through structured play. The aims are as follows:
Develop personal, social and emotional wellbeing, in particular, by supporting the transition to and between settings, promoting an inclusive ethos and providing opportunities for each child to become a valued member of the community so that strong self-esteem is promoted
Provide opportunities that will enable children to learn how to share, cooperate and work in harmony with each other and to listen to each other
Develop attention skills to concentrate on their own play activities and tasks given
Develop children’s language and communication skills with opportunities for all to talk and communicate in a widening range of situations, listen carefully, respond to others and further practice and extend the range of vocabulary use
Prepare children for reading and writing skills with opportunities for all to explore, enjoy and learn about signs and words in a broad range of contexts and to experience a rich variety of printed matter
Develop their understanding of numbers, measurement, patterns, shapes and space by providing a broad range of contexts in which they can explore, enjoy, learn and practice (Pre-Primary Curriculum, Namibia Institute for Education Development, 2015)
Develop children’s knowledge and understanding of the world with opportunities for all to solve problems, make decisions, experiment, predict, plan, explore and find out about the environment, people and places that have significance in their lives
Develop and practise their fine and gross motor skills and increase their understanding of how their bodies work and what they need to do to be healthy and safe
Develop children’s creativity with opportunities for all to explore and share their thoughts, ideas and feelings through a variety of imaginative art forms
The University of Namibia (over 30,000 students) offers degrees in early childhood and junior primary (a 4-year Bachelor of Education in Early Childhood and Junior Primary [honours], Master of Education in Literacy and Learning, Master of Education in Early Childhood Education and Care under review and a Ph.D. in Early Childhood Education).
Currently, 74 students are enrolled in the newly transformed program B.Ed. Early Childhood and Junior Primary across 5 campuses and 1,049 students enrolled in the phasing-out program (i.e. Bachelor of Education Pre- & Lower Primary degree) also across the 5 campuses. In the transformed program, the university has an enrolment quota of 200 students per year, providing 40 students per campus. The transformed curriculum places a strong emphasis on play and outdoor pedagogies as integral approaches to teaching and learning. The university recently phased out diplomas in junior primary (DJPE), which trained both pre-service and in-service teachers for the pre-primary phase up to grade 3.
Namibian College of Open Learning offers a certificate, diploma and degree in ECD and junior primary. The Montessori College of Education offers diplomas in ECD and junior primary. On the other hand, community-based ECD centres lack qualified educarers due to a lack of funds to pay them. This leads to the mushrooming of unrecognized training institutions. There are more female educarers and caregivers than males. Caregivers at ECD centres often join the profession due to a lack of other suitable qualifications and unemployment. Thus, the qualifications of caregivers are generally low, and some have no formal qualifications. The MGEPESW presents a 7-week ECD training course that comprises 14 themes that provide in-service training that many educarers take. Although caregivers in most ECD centres use English and/or other local languages that are dominant, most caregivers have limited knowledge of English, and many are not fluent in English. Those who receive recognized diplomas and degrees join pre-primary education under the MoEAC.
Most ECD centres in Namibia start from 07:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. However, working parents drop off their children at 6:00 a.m. and pick them up from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Some ECD centres have an afterschool care program for children until 6:00 p.m.
Most community ECD and private ECD centres in high-density areas are overcrowded, while those in low-density areas have a small number of children. According to the Namibia Standard for ECD centres (2012), the indoor floor space per child enrolled should be 1.5 square metres. For children 13–35 months of age, there should be 10 children per educator; for children 3–4 years of age, there should be 20 learners per educator; for children 5–6 years of age, there should be 25 children per educator; and for children in grades 1–3, there should be 35 learners per teacher.
A daily program for a half-day session can include the following:
ECD services are still not readily available in Namibia despite new approaches, including home-based programs piloted by the government and other stakeholders. There are still not enough ECD centres in Namibia, and all persons looking after young children are encouraged to follow the IECD policy. The MGEPESW strategic plan highlights the lack of adequately trained personnel in ECD as a key challenge in providing quality ECD services and calls for the training of ECD specialist personnel as a key priority for the country, as most teachers and educarers specialize in junior primary. There is a lack of infrastructure for both pre-Primary and ECD centres; a large number of 5–6-year-old children are still in community and private ECD centres. Classrooms are too small and overcrowded, without space for indoor activities.
In addition, there is very little support from key officials in terms of ECD service provision and program delivery. Support to ECD centres is limited due to an insufficient budget, which leads to a lack of teaching aids and resources. Lastly, the MGEPESW, together with UNICEF, is advocating for recognition of ECD as a profession in Namibia; a high number of institutions are training ECD components within B.Ed. degrees for junior primary.
The government of Namibia has prioritized early childhood care and education as a key lever for driving the economic, social and intellectual development of the nation (Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, 2017). This prioritization is evident in the National Development Plan, which highlights access to IECD services and pre-primary education as a national priority. In this regard, a document – Towards Integrated ECD Services Delivery in Namibia 2017–2022 (which is extended to 2025) – included joint programs among MGEPESW (0–4 years), MoEAC (5–6 years) and MoHSS (health and nutrition).
Government of the Republic of Namibia (GRN). (2017). Namibia’s Fifth National Development Plan. National Planning Commission.
Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture (MoEAC). (2017). The Strategic Plan 2017/18-2021/22. MoEAC.
Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare. (2022). Report of ECD-MIS Survey on Early Childhood Development Centres in Namibia. MGECW
Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare. (2013). Curriculum Framework for Children in Namibia Aged 3 and 4 Years. MGECW
Ministry of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare. (2017). Towards Integrated Early Childhood Development Service Delivery in Namibia: A Summary of the Framework for Action. MGEPESW
Ministry of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare. (2021). Strategic Plan (2020/21 – 2024/25). MGEPESW
Namibia Institute for Education Development. (2015). Pre-Primary Curriculum. NIED
Namibia Statistics Agency. (2024). 2023 Population & Housing Census Preliminary Report. NSA
