University rules

Media ombudsman and law scholar Dr John Nakuta has called on universities to desist from implementing ‘nonsensical’ rules and regulations aimed at censoring and preventing student activism on campuses.He made these remarks last Thursday during Namibian Sun’s public dialogue held at the International University of Management (IUM) on the youth’s participation in the upcoming elections.The event was themed &#039;The Youth as Voters and as Contenders for Political Office&#039;, and featured Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) parliamentarian Inna Hengari and Swapo Windhoek East secretary for information Innocentia Gaoes as the other panellists.Nakuta was responding to a question from IUM’s student representative council president Loide Nghuulongo, who asked for advice for student leaders who live in fear of being victimised by management at the various universities when they raise burning student matters.“Some [student leaders] are scared to challenge management because we are threatened that we will not get jobs. What is your advice to youth leaders who live in fear of being victimised? ”This comes not long after the University of Namibia (Unam) came under fire after it was accused of stifling the civil liberties of students by banning political activities on its campuses.A directive was issued last Monday by the university’s pro-vice-chancellor for finance and administration, Ellen Namhila, and is seen by many as targeting the opening ceremony of the Affirmative Repositioning Students Command (ARSC), slated for 17:30 this evening. AR chief activist Professor Job Amupanda is set to attend the event.No solidarity“Universities are places where critical thinking should be cultivated. But now it seems we are focusing more on dress codes and other trivial matters. I urge you to always challenge authority when you think they are being unfair and unreasonable,” Nakuta said.He further encouraged student leaders to consistently challenge the management of universities in order to meet the needs and demands of students.“We moved from an era of authority to an era of justification, therefore any decision must be justified before it is implemented. We need to nip this trend in this bud before it gets out of hand. There is currently no solidarity between young people; you need to work on that in order to disrupt the status quo,” he said.Hengari joined Nakuta’s chorus, adding that “autocratic behaviour kills activism at universities”.“This should be a space where students are free to express themselves. If universities can be used as registration [points] for elections, why can it not be a site where politics is discussed?” she wanted to know.Civic educationHengari also called for the introduction of civic education in the school curriculum.She said civic education ought to be introduced in schools for young people to educate themselves before they vote. This, she said, will enable them to make the right decisions in choosing the political party that best aligns with their principles and values.“Countries like the United States and Kenya have the constitution as part of their curricula to teach learners about their rights and what it encapsulates. Just the other day, my nephew brought me his first university assignment for assistance - they were asked to explain what a constitution is. The government needs to introduce civic education at the lowest level of our education,” she stressed.Youth involvementMeanwhile, Gaoes urged young people to get involved in politics and make their voices heard as not doing so leads to decisions being made on their behalf. “It is important for young people to go out there and seek information, acquainting themselves with how the country is governed and how they can play their part in the decision-making,” she said.She further said information is still not readily available, despite the government’s efforts to introduce skills training programmes and funding opportunities through the National Youth Council (NYC) and the National Youth Service (NYS) to cater to the needs of young people.She encouraged representatives of organisations to go out into the regions and provide adequate information to all young people, not only those in the Windhoek vicinity.“A lot still needs to be done for young people. There are young people in remote areas who do not have access to this information. I believe this is why many young people feel they are not aware of what political parties are doing or whether they even exist,” she said.

University rules

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-02

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University rules

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-02

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