National Council for Higher Education

Call for Applications: NCHE Council Members

The Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture is inviting suitably qualified and experienced Namibians to apply for appointment to the Council of the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) for a three-year term.

The Ministry is seeking professionals with expertise in areas including:

• Higher Education Quality Assurance
• Statistical Analysis
• Higher Education Management
• Finance
• Development Planning
• Legal

This is an opportunity for qualified leaders and professionals to contribute to the governance, strategic direction, and advancement of higher education in Namibia.

🗓 Closing Date: 15 May 2026

For full requirements and application details, please see the official notice below.

Celebrating Milestones in Higher Education - Public Award Ceremony

Yesterday, 18 March 2026, NCHE hosted its Public Award Ceremony at Protea Hotel Thuringerhof in Windhoek, bringing together leaders and institutions from across Namibia’s higher education sector.

The event celebrated:
Registration of new institutions
Accreditation of academic programmes
Institutional quality audits

A big congratulations to all recognised institutions, including Triumphant College, Welwitchia University, St Charles Lwanga Major Seminary, University of Namibia (UNAM), and Namibia University of Science and Technology - NUST, for their commitment to quality and excellence.
These milestones show how Namibia continues to strengthen its higher education system, ensuring that students receive education that is relevant, credible, and impactful. Because at the heart of it all, quality education is a promise to the future of every Namibian student.

Following the 20th anniversary commemoration on 12 February 2026, Dr Sylvia Demas, Deputy Executive Director of the National Council for Higher Education, joined Good Morning Namibia alongside Sem Shikongo, Deputy Director: Policy Planning and Research at the NCHE Secretariat.

The discussion reflected on NCHE’s 20-year journey and reaffirmed our continued commitment to safeguarding quality higher education for national development.

Nurturing Change. Honouring Excellence.

Today, we marked a defining moment in our journey. Two Decades of Coordinated Quality Higher Education in Namibia.

Her Excellency, Lucia Witbooi, Vice President of the Republic of Namibia, joined the National Council for Higher Education in commemorating 20 years of coordinated quality higher education for national development and in officially inaugurating our headquarters as the Dr Zedekia Josef Ngavirue Higher Education House.

20 years ago, NCHE began as a vision, a commitment to ensure that higher education in Namibia is coordinated, credible and quality-driven. Since then, we have built systems, strengthened standards, supported institutions, and advanced evidence-based planning through HEMIS, all in service of a responsive and accountable higher education system. Today, what began as a national vision has grown into a mature institution committed to safeguarding standards and supporting a responsive and accountable higher education system. This milestone reaffirms our collective commitment to quality higher education and its central role in advancing Namibia’s national development agenda.

We were further honoured by the presence of the Honourable Dino Ballotti, Deputy Minister of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sport, Arts and Culture; the family of the late Dr Zedekia Josef Ngavirue; and distinguished leaders from across government, higher education institutions and the diplomatic community, reaffirming the importance of quality higher education in Namibia’s national development agenda.

As we enter our next chapter, we remain grounded in our mandate, guided by our founding values, and steadfast in our responsibility to steward a credible, responsive and quality-driven higher education system for Namibia.

Nurturing Change. Honouring Excellence.

Happy New Year from NCHE

As we welcome 2026, the National Council for Higher Education extends warm New Year wishes to all students, parents, higher education institutions, partners, and stakeholders across Namibia.

We look forward to continued collaboration as we work together to build a skilled, innovative, and knowledge-driven nation.

Wishing you a year of progress, purpose, and opportunity.

Yesterday, 8 December 2025, at 14:30, the Minister of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture, Hon. Dr Sanet Steenkamp, officially announced the implementation modalities for the Subsidised Tertiary Education Funding Model, commencing in the 2026 Academic Year.

As the national body responsible for quality assurance and stewardship of the higher education system, the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) welcomes this transformative policy direction, which advances equitable access while upholding the integrity of Namibia’s higher education sector.

This marks a significant milestone in strengthening quality, access, and accountability within Namibia’s higher education landscape. NCHE remains committed to ensuring that expanded access to tertiary education is delivered through institutions that meet the highest standards of quality and relevance.