Approximately 900 pupils have dropped out of school in the Kunene region this year, driven by family relocations, lack of accommodation, and farmworker instability. Kunene education director Sophia Frederick notes that the region continues to grapple with high student attrition despite expanding its total number of schools to 88.
The Kunene region faces a severe student retention crisis, with roughly 900 children leaving the school system this year alone. According to Kunene education director Sophia Frederick, the region struggles to keep children enrolled despite making strides in overall access to education. It is a hurtful truth that the dropout rate in our region is very high,
Frederick said.
Relocation, Hostels, and Farmworker Instability in Kunene
Multiple structural pressures contribute to the rising figures, led heavily by family movements. Because several schools lack student accommodation or hostels, children are forced to travel alongside their parents when households relocate in search of grazing land for livestock. Without alternative living arrangements, families have no other option than to take their children out of the classroom.
Job instability among farmworkers exacerbates the disruption. Families often move abruptly when workers are recruited or dismissed within short timeframes. A person is recruited today and fired tomorrow, for example. So it’s obvious this person has to go with his or her child,
Frederick explained.
Geographical dynamics also play a role. The region’s close proximity to Angola creates enrollment shifts, as some children registered in Namibian schools eventually return to their country of origin after initially enrolling under the assumption that they are Namibian.
Infrastructure Expansion, Water Challenges, and Partner Support
Amid these attendance hurdles, the region has expanded its educational footprint. The number of schools in Kunene grew from 75 in 2024—including five private institutions—to 88 currently. This growth is largely driven by demand in Ovahimba areas, where local residents actively submit applications and regional constituencies advocate for educational facilities.
Infrastructure remains a persistent barrier outside of classroom walls. Although the government has drilled 21 boreholes at 21 schools to secure water supplies, hard water damages local pipes and disrupts reliable access. To combat this, the education directorate plans to acquire its own water tanker to provide temporary relief.
Development partners are stepping in to reinforce early childhood development and teaching capacity. Organizations such as the European Union and Unicef provide resources and staff training.
Community needs are so much bigger, but the hope is that the EU would continue supporting successful programmes that will assist in reducing the dropout rates.
Ana Beatriz Martins, EU ambassador to Namibia
Unicef country representative Samuel Ocran has similarly called for broader cooperation among partners to secure educational access for children in the area. Meanwhile, regional officials acknowledge that child marriage remains a complex factor affecting school attendance in certain Ovahimba communities, though the education directorate currently lacks reliable statistics to quantify its exact impact.
