The Namibia Student Financial Assistance Fund (NSFAF) on Wednesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Youth Services (NYS), to fund students studying vocational courses at NYS centres.

At the signing ceremony NSFAF Acting Chief Executive Officer Kennedy Kandume, said the agreement will advance youth education in the country especially those that did not previously financially benefit from NSFAF.

He said NSFAF has agreed on a number of deliverables that will see an increase in the number of students to benefit while studying programs from National Qualification Framework level one up to level six, and the programs must be accredited and evaluated by both the Namibia Training Authority (NTA) and Namibia Qualification Authority (NQA).

‘In terms of this agreement, NSFAF commits to make payments to NYS of all tuition fees, including registration fees in respect of its funded students who are registered with NYS training centres. Make payment within a reasonable time after the apportionment of the national budget by parliament as the parties have agreed,’ said Kandume.

He said NSFAF will therefore send a team to visit and evaluate NYS training facilities to see if they are up to standard and conducive enough to accommodate students.

On his part, NYS Commissioner Felix Musukubili, said that vocational programs offered by NYS also provide the youth with opportunities for further studies and training, thereby enhancing their opportunities for gainful employment in the labour market. Also in the absence of employment opportunities, trained youth can use their acquired skills to establish youth enterprises, hence, creating employment for themselves and other youth.

Over the years, funding of our vocational programs has been sourced from NYS treasury budgetary allocation and partial funding from NTA at no cost to the trainees. ‘However, given the annual substantial decline in budgetary allocation to NYS and significantly reduced NTA partial funding, this has consequently resulted in a corresponding reduction in the number of enrollments at our Rietfontein Training Center,’ said Musukubili.

NYS, he said has a combined intake capacity of 3900 at its various training centres, which includes Rietfontein, Ondangwa and Henties Bay. However, of all the centres, only Rietfontein Training Center is operational with a total capacity of 2500 but only absorbing 700.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency