What is a Private School?

An independent school is independent in its finances and governance. Also known as private schools, non-governmental, privately funded, or non-state schools, they are not administered by local, state or national governments.

How To Register A Private School In Namibia

The following procedure must be followed:

1. The owner of a private school, or his or her representative, must obtain from the regional office concerned a copy of this circular together with copies of Annexures A and B and Form 4.
2. The application form (Form 4) must be completed by the owner or his or her representative and together with any attachments submitted to the Regional Director as a file. The sections A, B, C and D in the application form must be completed by the owner or applicant of the school.
3. The Regional Director must as contemplated in paragraph E of Form 4 appoint an Inspection Team to visit and inspect the school and verify the correctness of the information provided on Form 4. The Inspection Team must complete section E of the application form after the visit and submit the file with the application documentation to the Regional Director for recommendation.
4. The Regional Director must work through the application form, and any other documents that may be in the file, consider the recommendation of the Inspection Team (see E2.4) and make a final recommendation in Section F of Form 4. The Regional Director must then make him or herself a copy of Form 4 and any other documents that may be in the file.
5. If, based on the shortcomings in the application, the judgment of the Regional Director is not to recommend the private school for registration; the application documentation must not be forwarded to the secretariat of the National Examination, Assessment and Certification Board (NEACB). In such case the applicant of the private school must be informed in writing by the Regional Director of all the shortcomings and the applicant may when the shortcomings have been corrected re-apply for registration. The Regional Director must keep a copy of the letter listing the shortcomings.
6. For applications where the Regional Director has recommended the registration of the private school the file with Form 4 and any other documents must be forwarded to reach the secretariat of the National Examination. Assessment and Certification Board (NEACB) at the latest by the closing date of the agenda for either the March, July or October meetings of the Board. However, the March and July meetings of the Board are considered ideal to consider such applications if the school wants to open in January of the next academic year because it allows time for the correction of shortcomings. Applications received for the October meeting of the Board may not be approved in good time for the school to open in January of the next academic year if there should be shortcomings in the application.
7. The applicant must ensure that the correct educational phases as per curriculum are applied for namely pre-primary (Grade 0), junior primary (Grades 1-3), senior primary (Grades 4-7), junior secondary (Grades 8-10) and senior secondary Grades 11-12). The school must first establish itself before extension of other phases.
   Note: Institution wanting to apply to offer primary education level must do so in accordance with the Curriculum Reform as implemented from 2015.
8. The Committee established by the NEACB for the evaluation of the applications of private schools will consider the applications received from regional offices and make a recommendation in Section G of Form 4 for consideration of the NEACB. The NEACB will consider the recommendation of the abovementioned Committee and decide whether to recommend registration or not to the Minister. The recommendation of the NEACB will be submitted to the Minister for a decision.
9. The Regional Director will be informed of the decision of the Minister as soon as it is available. An approval of the application by the Minister will be accompanied by a certificate of registration and a reference number as well as with the terms and conditions of registration whilst a non-approval will be accompanied by the reasons for the non-approval and the applicant will be informed that he/she may re-apply or make further presentations in support of the application. Regional Offices must make a copy of the registration certificate for record purposes and hand the original certificate over to the owner of the private school.
10. The Secretariat of the NEACB will maintain a register of the registered private schools as contemplated in Section 43 of Act No. 16 of 2001 and in Section 56(5) of Regulation No. 187.
11. The abovementioned procedures for the application of registration of private schools must be followed with immediate effect and Regional Offices must ensure that they keep a stock of the circular, the attached application form (Form 4) and Annexures A and B for provision to the applicants.

Click to Download Form 4 (Application Form)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

What is the difference between a non public school and a private school?

There is one big similarity between private and independent schools, and that is the fact that they are non-public schools. In other words, they are schools which are funded by their own resources, and do not receive public funding from the state or federal government.

Do private schools have to be accredited?

For private schools, accreditation is not required and is achieved by the school’s adopting and maintaining the academic standards prescribed by an independent accrediting association, usually affiliated with the school’s religion or educational philosophy.

Is starting a school a good business in Namibia?

Opening a good, new school is a huge challenge. It is complicated under the best of circumstances. It involves business plans, construction, financing, logistics, innovative business ideas and marketing – many tasks outside the experience of even veteran educators.

Can I open my own school in Namibia?

Most private schools incorporate and apply for tax-exempt status. You’ll need to officially create the for-profit private school as a business and register the school with your state at least 1 year before opening its doors to students.

Does it matter if a school is accredited?

Accreditation ensures academic quality. The choice to attend an accredited school can impact each student’s ability to receive federal financial aid or transfer credit to a new school. Students should check to make sure their prospective school holds accreditation.

How many private schools are there in Namibia 2025/2026?

Namibia has 1,723 primary and secondary schools, 119 of them private and 1,604 governmental.

How are private schools funded in Namibia?

How Is An Independent School Funded In Namibia? Independent schools finance themselves (as opposed to public schools funded through the government and parochial schools subsidized by the church), largely through charging tuition, fund raising, and income from endowment.

Why parents send their child to private school in Namibia?

Private schools create an environment where your child can develop intellectually, emotionally and socially. Parents who value small class sizes, increased safety, a connected community and dedicated teachers find that private schools are a good fit for their child and provide an optimal education experience.

Do private school students do better in life in Namibia?

New research published by Statistics Canada has indicated the private school students tend to do better academically than their public school peers. By this alone, one could assume that many private school students achieve more successful lives than public school students.

Do private school students perform better than public school students in Namibia?

Each private school is different, but here are some of the supposed benefits of private versus public school education: More academic opportunities. Studies show as well that private school students consistently score higher on standardized tests and college entrance exams. Smaller class size

Is it better to go to a private or public school in Namibia?

If your child will succeed in a place with a diverse population, ample extracurricular opportunities, and rigorously leveled classes, then public school is the right choice. If they need more consistent support, opt for private school.

What do you mean by school budget?

The school budget may be described as the process of preparing a statement of anticipated revenue and the proposed expenditure over a period of time. In other words, it is a process of preparing a summary of the programmes in the school that will be reflected by the expected revenue.

How public schools are funded in Namibia?

Public education is funded through the National Budget (see UNICEF Budget Brief – The National Budget for sources of revenue). Until the introduction of UPE and USE in 2013 and 2016 respectively, parents contributed in cash or kind to the School Development Fund (SDF).

What do private schools do differently?

Because private schools don’t have to follow state laws about what to teach, they can offer unique and specialized programs. Parochial schools can offer religion classes, while special-education schools may provide remedial and counseling programs to help their students.

Are private schools more flexible in Namibia?

Compared to large city school districts, private schools have more flexibility and typically more resources to provide smaller class sizes, implement safety precautions and supply personal protective equipment. They also do not have to negotiate union agreements and have fewer families’ needs to meet.