Student union is fighting ‘exclusionary’ debt policy

The Student Union of Namibia (SUN) is calling for a graduation-with-debt policy across tertiary institutions in Namibia.

Speaking to University World News, the chairperson of SUN, Benhard Kavau, said most tertiary institutions in Namibia have made it clear that “no student shall receive their academic qualifications or transcripts unless all financial obligations are cleared in full”.

Kavau said this policy, which he described as “exclusionary”, barricades “the gates of progress” for indebted students regardless of their academic achievements.

Effects of the policy

Failing to access results upon completion of studies has negative ramifications for students. “Graduates who have fulfilled all academic requirements are still denied access to their qualifications, rendering them ineligible for employment, further studies, or professional opportunities”, said Kavau.

In Namibia, employers demand certified proof of education. Those denied access to certification on account of owing colleges have their futures “locked behind an unaffordable paywall”, said Kavau. “This policy systematically penalises poverty and obstructs social mobility,” he added.

Students affected the most are those from poor backgrounds. Kavau said the policy affects students from unemployed households where fathers are absent or uninvolved.

In the past, many students unable to fund their education have relied on partial assistance from the Namibia Students Financial Assistance Fund (NSFAF), but according to Kavau, NSFAF is grossly underfunded and unable to meet the demand.

“As a result”, said Kavau, “a growing generation of Namibians sits at home, burdened with knowledge but denied the certification that proves it”. He said in Namibia, many graduates are jobless because they are “shackled by the chains of debt”.

A bureaucratic paradox

The government of Namibia, through NSFAF, recently announced that more than 7,000 students who completed studies in 2024 will benefit from a debt relief programme.

However, this initiative was a once-off intervention and not a longstanding policy.

Kavau said the way the debt relief programme is designed is inherently problematic, and that NSFAF is demanding academic records as part of the application process for debt relief.

This is difficult for applicants because universities are refusing to release academic records until debts are paid.

“This circular injustice is a bureaucratic paradox SUN is confronting head-on,” said Kavau. “SUN has begun mobilising, collecting data from affected graduates, and initiating a mass campaign to challenge the institutions,” he added.

Education should not be ‘a debt sentence’

Kavau spoke strongly against tertiary institutions withholding qualifications of owing students, referring to the practice as a “debt sentence”.

“SUN is committed to dismantling this punitive policy and ensuring no graduate is held hostage by financial status”, said Kavau. He said SUN is fighting for “an inclusive, debt-free academic future for all Namibians”.

The practice of linking graduation to paid-up fees is common in major colleges in Namibia. The University of Namibia used to prevent owing students from accessing certificates but allowed them to view transcripts. However, this changed in 2023 when the institution started barring owing students from accessing transcripts.

In 2024, it was reported that UNAM was no longer updating the status of student records to “degree obtained” till an owing student settled all arrears, a move many graduates said would prevent them from getting employment.

In 2023, the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) barred more than 1,000 students from attending a graduation ceremony because they owed money.

Namibia’s long-term solution

Inadequate education financing and failure to obtain results due to unpaid fees are problems that have plagued students for years in Namibia.

While the government is instituting a debt relief programme as a stop-gap measure to help affected students, it has announced a more permanent solution in the form of free higher education.

The newly elected president of Namibia, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, announced that there will be free higher education in Namibia starting from 2026. If such a policy is implemented, no future students will be denied access to qualifications over unpaid fees because there will be no fees to begin with.

Ndaitwah’s free education announcement, however, has been met with a lot of criticism, especially about its financial feasibility.