Government has allocated N$2.8 billion in the 2026/27 financial year to fund subsidised tertiary education, as part of efforts to ease the financial burden on households and expand access to higher education.
Finance Minister Ericah Shafudah announced the allocation as part of the national budget on Thursday, noting that the funding forms part of the N$28 billion appropriated to the Vote for Education, Innovation, Arts and Culture within the broader N$54.3 billion social sector envelope.
Education remains the single largest functional allocation in the 2026/27 national budget, reflecting government’s continued prioritisation of human capital development.
“A total of N$28 billion has been earmarked for the Vote Education, Innovation, Arts and Culture. Of this amount, N$2.8 billion is designated for subsidised tertiary education and for alleviating school congestion,” Shafudah said.
The minister said the subsidised tertiary education programme is expected to support approximately 134,079 students projected to register for the 2026 academic year, although final figures will only be confirmed once registration processes are completed.
“Institutions are still enrolling students, and the final figures are available only once the registration period closes,” she added.
The allocation builds on earlier funding provided during the current fiscal year, when government set aside N$663 million to cover registration and tuition fees for the first quarter of the 2026 academic year, in line with the policy position on subsidised free tertiary education at both public and private institutions.
Shafudah said the programme is aimed at reducing financial pressure on households while improving access to tertiary education and skills development opportunities.
Under the policy framework rolled out in 2026, subsidised tertiary education will apply only to first primary qualifications. These include undergraduate programmes aligned with National Qualifications Framework (NQF) levels 5 to 8, covering diplomas, degrees and honours qualifications, as well as technical and vocational education and training (TVET) trades from NQF levels 1 to 6.
Newly enrolled postgraduate students will initially be excluded from the programme, with government support limited to students already covered under existing contractual funding arrangements.
Over the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) period, government has allocated a total of N$83.6 billion to the education sector to cover both operational and development expenditure.
Beyond tertiary education, additional investments are being directed toward basic education capacity. Shafudah noted that N$151 million was allocated during the October 2025 mid-term budget to recruit 665 teachers, while a total of 2,772 teachers have been recruited during the 2025/26 financial year to date.
The expanded education spending comes as government seeks to address school congestion, strengthen skills development and align education outcomes with labour market needs as part of broader socio-economic development objectives.
