Kavango west: Kavango West Governor, Verna Sinimbo, has called on the revision of the Early Childhood Development Policy (ECD) in the region to ensure that it reflects the realities in villages and towns. Speaking during a consultation on the policy held by the Directorate of Education, in collaboration with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare at Nkurenkuru on Monday, Sinimbo called on caregivers, teachers, parents, and community leaders to speak freely in any language they are comfortable with so that the policy review is informed by real experiences from communities.

According to Namibia Press Agency, Sinimbo emphasised that early childhood development, from conception to the age of eight, lays the foundation for health, learning, and future productivity. The governor also pointed to several challenges faced by families, including unequal access to ECD services, nutritional deficiencies, child poverty, and the impact of emergencies on vulnerable households.

Sinimbo stressed the need for an integrated approach that links health, nutrition, early learning, child protection, social protection, water, and sanitation, as well as responsive caregiving. She noted that such an approach should align with national priorities and the Basic Education Act of 2020. She added that the aim of the review is to produce a revised policy grounded in evidence and supported by a monitoring framework capable of tracking real outcomes for children across all regions.

Meanwhile, Rosina Museke-Mubonenwa, a director at the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, announced that the government is transitioning leadership of early childhood development to the Ministry of Education in order to strengthen continuity from birth to school entry while maintaining an intersectoral approach. She said the move will not disrupt the operations of existing ECD centres but will introduce clearer standards, closer supervision through local schools, and funding models that follow the child, with designated portions allocated for infrastructure, nutrition, and quality assurance.

Museke-Mubonenwa explained that the government is also working to align age bands from zero to six years, strengthen family-based support systems, and ensure that the programme is firmly linked to the Sixth National Development Plan (NDP6). According to her, the transition is expected to take effect in January and will be supported by policy and future regulations to ensure clarity of roles and accountability. She noted that earlier ECD policies introduced in 1996 and 2007 laid an important foundation, but implementation has produced uneven results.