UNICEF to brief Namibian lawmakers on proposed education bill

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF)'s country representative to Namibia Micaela Marques de Sousa will brief some members of National Assembly on a proposed education bill in Windhoek Tuesday.

In a statement Monday, UNICEF said the proposed bill is expected to better reflect Namibia's National Development Plans (NDPs), Vision 2030, as well as Namibia's global, continental and regional commitments such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA16-25).

In addition, the statement said, the proposed bill will place the child and the learners at the centre of education and promote an education which is free from any type of discrimination.

According to the statement, the bill will further promote an education that prepares the Namibian child for lifelong learning and sustainable development.

"While the Government of the Republic of Namibia has achieved a lot in terms of providing education to its citizens, a need was felt to review Education Act of 2001, in order to ensure that the new Act reflects all national and international policies and legislations in education, with particular emphasis on ensuring the right to inclusive quality education for all children," the statement said.

Some of the clauses that are expected to be incorporated in the new bill were collected during meetings held by the education ministry in 28 towns across Namibia's 14 regions in 2915.

The review was made possible with funding and technical support from UNICEF and the European Union (EU). Endit