Over 22 000 NUSTodians Enrolled
Approximately 22 718 stu-dents have registered for the 2026 Academic Year across NUST’s campuses nation-wide, the highest enrolment in the Institution’s history.
Speaking at the Official Opening Ceremony in Windhoek, the Acting NUST Vice-Chancellor, Prof Andrew Niikondo, noted that “this year, thousands of young Namibians are entering universities and training institutions without the barriers that once stood in their way of accessing higher education”. He was referring to the Government’s Subsidised Tertiary Education initiative introduced last year, which has significantly improved access to higher learning.
A Call to Government
While welcoming the milestone, Prof Niikondo equally addressed ongoing challenges, particularly regarding student accommodation. “We still have students walking long distances to campus. There are several government buildings in and around campuses, and across the regions, that are dormant or underutilised. I would request Government to allocate these facilities to NUST for conversion into student accommodation or resource centres,” he said.
Otavi on the Horizon
NUST’s continued regional expansion was also outlined during the ceremony, with the Rietfontein Agricultural Campus set to relocate to Otavi, where construction is scheduled to commence. The move reflects a deliberate shift toward regional inclusion, ensuring that higher education opportunities extend beyond urban centres and into rural communities.
The expansion aligns with national development priorities articulated in a message from Hon Veikko Nekundi, Minister of Works and Transport.
His remarks, delivered on his behalf by the Deputy Minister of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sport, Arts and Culture, Hon Dino Ballotti, emphasised that Namibia’s development corridors, logistics systems and transport networks require graduates equipped with both technical expertise and practical skills, precisely the calibre of graduates institutions such as NUST are mandated to produce.
Official Opening Ceremonies were held concurrently across all NUST campuses: Windhoek, Lüderitz, Rietfontein and Eenhana.
