5Year Strategic Plan - University of Namibia

knowledge creation in line with the objectives and goals of Vision 2030. In this area UNAM has been
called upon together with other tertiary education institutions to work for increased supply of highly
qualified experts in areas identified as critical to national development in Vision 2030 i.e. agriculture,
fisheries, information technology, science, engineering, geology, medical science, accountancy and
business management. On the shortcomings of current research by tertiary education institutions the
ETSIP document notes the following:
Limited number of scientific and refereed publications in local and international journals;
Low number of patent applications and registration by tertiary institutions;
Limited use of personal computers and internet in research and learning activities;
Absence of research mentorship programmes and lack of demand orientation in research
programmes of tertiary education institutions;
Weak links between teaching and research programmes; etc.
In partnership with all the tertiary institutions and the Ministry of Education, the University of
Namibia (UNAM) must meet the present and future needs of the state for a highly skilled, adoptable
and innovative work force.
In addition to these two policies, the GRN has passed three more Acts that will impact on tertiary
education institutions in terms of increased competition on the one hand as more service providers
including private ones will enter the higher education services market and mechanisms for regular
quality assessment by government institutions on the other. The latter will require increased efforts for
quality assurance by UNAM and more accountability for public resources invested in its activities. The
three Acts are the Research, Science and Technology Act, that seeks to stimulate scientific research and
link it to development, the Teachers’ Education Colleges Act, that brings teachers’ education colleges
at the same professional level as UNAM and the Higher Education Act establishing the National
Council for Higher Education and among other things introducing new modalities of accreditation
and requirements for regular re-accreditation.. These Acts in their totality require UNAM and all
tertiary education institutions to reposition themselves for new roles in preparing Namibia for further
advances into the knowledge society.
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