Patience Makwele
Namibia’s plans to expand digital learning are facing challenges ranging from poor internet connectivity in remote schools to ageing ICT equipment, electricity shortages and the high cost of data and maintenance, deputy education minister Dino Ballotti has said.
Ballotti was speaking at the National ICT in Education Convention and Exhibition (NICE2026) in Otjiwarongo, where he outlined some of the challenges facing the country’s digital education drive.
He said Namibia must not rush to introduce new technology while basic conditions for learning remain a challenge in some schools.
“We must be careful not to confuse leapfrogging technology with skipping foundations,” Ballotti said.
“Digital education can help us to leapfrog certain stages of technological development but we cannot leapfrog the basic conditions necessary for learning.”
According to Ballotti, unstable internet bandwidth, especially in remote areas, is one of the major problems facing digital education.
He also pointed to ageing ICT infrastructure, electricity constraints, the cost of commercial data and hardware maintenance, differences in digital literacy among teachers and learners, and limited funding.
“These are realities that we must confront,” he said.
The concerns come as government plans to increase access to digital technologies from an average of 28% to 70% by 2030 under the Sixth National Development Plan (NDP6).
National internet usage is also targeted to increase from 53% to 90% during the same period.
The NDP6 also targets 60% of educational infrastructure to be modern, safe and digitally equipped by 2030.
Ballotti said the government had already started distributing devices, with more than 32 000 pocket Wi-Fi devices and laptops provided to higher education students and educators.
He, however, said digital education could not be reduced to simply putting computers in classrooms.
Schools also need reliable electricity and internet connectivity, while teachers need the skills to use technology effectively in teaching, he said.
The government’s plans include digitising core academic subjects, establishing an integrated digital hub and accelerating the rollout of computer laboratories, smart classrooms and internet infrastructure.
Ballotti said the aim was to ensure that learners in rural areas are not left behind as the country moves towards greater use of technology in education.
He said the government wanted a learner in rural Otjozondjupa or Kunene to have the same digital learning opportunities as a learner in Windhoek.
The size of the education system makes the task substantial. He said Namibia has 968 015 learners and 36 092 teachers across 2 119 state and private schools.
Adding that teachers would also need to be equipped with the skills to integrate ICT into teaching rather than simply being given access to devices.
Otjozondjupa governor John Julius //Khamuseb said the focus on technology should not result in basic skills being overlooked.
“We must not repeat the same mistake that was done in America at the peak of the computer technology era. They realised that children do not read, they do not write, they do not know the basic arithmetic,” //Khamuseb said.
He said learners needed a strong foundation at pre-primary and primary level before technology could become an added value to their education.
Otjiwarongo mayor Leonard Simushi also warned that digital transformation should not create another form of inequality.
“Digital transformation must close gaps, not create new ones,” Simushi said.
He called for technology to reach remote learners, learners with disabilities and schools still facing infrastructure and connectivity challenges.
Ballotti said the government would need help from the private sector, telecommunications companies, academia and international partners to meet its digital education targets.
“We need formalised Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) that establish long-term investment models,” Ballotti said.
He also called for initiatives such as Adopt-a-School and Adopt-a-Learner to provide practical support to schools, including connectivity, computers and solar power.
He pointed to private-sector involvement in education as an example of what could be achieved through such partnerships, citing B2Gold’s support for Ombili Primary School, where the company has provided ICT infrastructure.
Ballotti said such partnerships should, however, complement rather than replace government responsibility for education.
The push for digital learning therefore comes with a balancing act for the education sector in expanding access to new technology while ensuring schools and teachers have the basic infrastructure and skills needed to use it.
He emphasized that his priority is not simply how quickly Namibia can digitise its classrooms, but whether learners are ready and able to benefit from the technology.
“Digital education can help us to leapfrog certain stages of technological development but we cannot leapfrog the basic conditions necessary for learning,” he said.
