CHILDREN in Namibia

FIGURE 2:
Proportion of age group at school by main language groupings
100%
The first three groups namely children of farm workers,
Khoisan, and Ovahimba children are unable to access schools
because they live in remote areas. This makes education more
expensive for them because parents have to pay for transport to
the school as well as accommodation at the schools.
The San and Ovahimba are historically semi-nomadic, meaning
that they move with the season of the year. This continuous
movement is a challenge for children who want to attend
schools. There has, however, been some progress in making
sure children from such communities have access to the
education system through the use of mobile schools.
Figure 2 shows, school attendance rates are low amongst
the San (red dotted line) and Otjiherero (green dotted line)
speakers, which include the Ovahimba. Leaving school early is
particularly problematic amongst speakers of Nama / Damara
(yellow dotted line).
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
Age
0
6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
Khoisan
Otjiherero Rukavango Oshiwambo
Nama/Damara Afrikaans Caprivi
English
83%
43%
64%
english speaking
children, age 7
attend school
in
comparison
to
San speaking
children, age 7
attend school
in
comparison
to
Otjiherero speaking
children, age
7 attend school
4