According to andyeducation, Namibia’s educational system is divided into three levels: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Primary education consists of seven years of schooling, beginning at age 6 or 7 and ending at age 13 or 14. Secondary education is divided into two cycles: junior secondary (Grades 8-10) and senior secondary (Grades 11-12). At the end of the senior secondary cycle, students take the Namibian Senior Secondary Certificate Examination in order to gain admission to a higher institution. Tertiary education in Namibia is provided by both public and private institutions. The public institutions are operated by the Ministry of Higher Education, Training, and Innovation while the private institutions are accredited by the Namibia Qualifications Authority (NQA). Public universities in Namibia include University of Namibia, International University Of Management (IUM), Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) and Polytechnic of Namibia. Private universities include African Leadership University (ALU) and IUM Business School. The country also has many vocational training centers which offer short courses for those interested in pursuing a career in a specific field such as tourism or hospitality services. These centers are often funded by government programs such as the Skills Development Fund (SDF), which provides funding for short courses to enhance employability skills for job seekers. Additionally, there are several other programs available to help individuals gain access to higher education such as Student Loan Fund (SLF), Higher Education Bursary Fund (HEBF), Higher Education Loan Program (HELP), and National Student Financial Assistance Scheme (NSFAS). See educationvv for Namibia educational systems.
