Digital schools project to be launched at Okahandja

Namibia will launch its first-ever digital schools pilot project at Okahandja on Monday.

The project is in collaboration with United Arabic Emirates as the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture prepares to ramp up e-learning across the country.

A total of 15 schools from across the region have been selected to take part in the pilot project.

Education minister Anna Nghipondoka will officially launch the project at some of these schools.

“The digital schools project is sponsored by the government the UAE, and the aim is to develop digital content aligned with the official education curriculum within the ministry,” executive director of education, arts and culture Sanet Steenkamp says.

“We envisage that we will be able to assess and equip schools with the necessary digital devices. A total of 120 teachers were trained, and 70 of them are set to graduate on 12 August at the National Institute for Educational Development at Okahandja,” she says.

The ministry considered various criteria in selecting the schools for the pilot programme, including internet availability, the presence of equipped laboratories, and the availability of information and communication technology-skilled teachers.

Meanwhile, a revised policy on digital learning in Namibia (2023) has been put in place, but is yet to be finalised.

It aims to ensure equitable access to high-quality education and foster digital citizenship among all Namibians.

The government has signed an agreement with Digital School, a United Arabic Emirates organisation aiming to educate one million students worldwide by 2026.

The digital schools project is also running parallel to the Giga Project, which aims to ensure that schools are connected online to optimise e-learning across the country.

The ministry attended a high-level summit in Egypt this year, which sought to build teacher digital competencies and use artificial intelligence to support teacher coaching.

So far, the ministry has focused its attention on expanding infrastructure projects, supporting digital literacy, and partnering with the private sector, international organisations, and other countries to ensure the success of e-learning.