Windhoek - The Namibia Qualifications Authority (NQA) recently granted accreditation to three institutions, namely NamWater Human Resource Development Centre (HRDC), Welwitchia Health Training Centre and Kambaku Lodge and Safaris CC. Two additional institutions, namely, the Institute of Information Technology (IIT) and AIMS were granted re-accreditation and authority to expand their scope of programmes and sites. This brings the number of accredited institutions in Namibia to 44. 

Accreditation is confirmation by the NQA that an institution has the capacity to provide specified courses and assess the performance of persons enrolled in such courses. In this regard, accreditation provides learners with the assurance that the institutions have the capacity to deliver courses at the appropriate standard and that the qualification will likely be recognised by employers and other training providers.

In granting accreditation, the NQA considers various requirements as per the provisions of the gazetted Regulations for Accreditation. These include requirements that the institution employs appropriately qualified staff, has designed relevant courses and study materials and provides appropriate facilities and resources for students. The final decision is made after due consideration by the NQA Council which comprises high level representation of Government, professional bodies, training providers and lobby groups.

While the number of accredited institutions in Namibia is on a steady increase, the NQA strongly cautions prospective learners not to fall into the trap of studying at unaccredited institutions, at home or abroad. Studying at unaccredited institutions has very serious consequences for learners. Due to the fact that these institutions are not quality assured, it is impossible to validate the quality of qualifications and thus the employability of graduates from such institutions. Additionally, these institutions’ qualifications are not registered on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) and therefore their qualifications will not be recognised by the NQA. Essentially, qualifications obtained at unaccredited institutions in Namibia or elsewhere in the world are not recognised as legal and therefore hold no value.

At this time of the year when most people are applying for enrolment at various institutions, the NQA advices prospective learners to first contact the NQA in order to verify the status of the institution and programme or course before they enrol for any programme.  In an effort to minimise the number of learners enrolling at unaccredited institutions, the NQA provides a free service to assist the public to verify the accreditation status of institutions and programmes in Namibia and anywhere else in the world. The NQA has also published a list of all accredited Namibian institutions on its website: www.namqa.org. If any person does not heed this advice and goes ahead and studies at an unaccredited institution, they will be doing so at their own risk because the NQA will not be able to assist them after they have already graduated. In that case, they have essentially wasted time and money on a qualification that will not be recognised.  

The NQA is committed to ensuring that quality is entrenched in the Namibian education and training space and therefore calls on all unaccredited training providers to apply for accreditation and register their qualifications on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). In this way, they can truly contribute towards national development by producing graduates equipped with the required skills to develop Namibia into an industrialised nation by 2030. 

About the Namibia Qualifications Authority:

The NQA was established by Act 29 of 1996. The NQA is mandated to exercise and perform the statutory powers, duties and functions which include but are not limited to set up and administer a National Qualifications Framework; accredit persons, institutions and organizations providing education and courses of instruction or training and advise any person, body, institution, organization or interest group on matters pertaining to qualifications and national standards for qualifications.

Issued by:

Mr Franz Gertze

Chief Executive Officer

Namibia Qualifications Authority

Enquiries:

Ms Catherine Shipushu

Manager: Marketing and Communications

Tel: +264 61 384 107

Email: Catherine.Shipushu@namqa.org

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