End Of Term Farewell Statement By Dr Kalumbi Shangula, Chairperson Of The 3rd National Council For High Education (NCHE), 30 November 2016, Nipam, Windhoek.
The Director of the Programme,Hon Minister Itah Kandjii-Murangi, Minister of Higher Education, Training, and Innovation (MHETI),Fellow Out-going Council and Alternate MembersStaff Members of the NCHE Secretariat
Ladies and Gentlemen
It is indeed a distinct honour though mixed with a sad feeling, for me as the out-going Chairperson of the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE), to stand before you to bid farewell to this dynamic Team of experts, my fellow Council members who have become my friends over the past three years. It was a great pleasure for me to have steered the Third Council that consisted of members with vast experience and expertise in higher education and other sectors. We thought together, at times with different opinions but in the end, we all laughed together.
Since the appointment of the Third Council in 2013, the NCHE has grown tremendously as a reputable institution executing its mandate to the fullest. The Secretariat has also experience a growth in the number of technically skilled and competent staff with the approval of the new structure by the Public Service Commission in February 2014.
Ladies and gentlemen
The Council achieved many outcomes during the term in office of the Third Council and as a reminder of your commitment and hard-work, allow me to highlight a few but equally important achievements:
- Being an active member of the Southern African Quality Assurance Network (SAQAN), NCHE in 2014 facilitated the formulation of SAQAN Constitution and in 2016 co-hosted the International Conference on Quality Assurance in Higher Education in Africa.
- The implementation of the programme accreditation sub-system commenced in 2014 and twenty-one academic programmes (nine at UNAM and twelve at NUST) were subjected to the review process. Twelve programmes were accredited for the full cycle of six years and twenty-six programmes are undergoing review in 2016.
- Ten private Higher Education Institutions have been registered, gazetted and awarded registration certificates between 2014 to 2016.
- The Third National Graduate Survey commenced this year (2016) and will run for a period of five months. The three Universities, namely UNAM, NUST and IUM will participate in this study.
- Cabinet in November 2013, approved a phased implementation of the Funding Framework and the administration of the Funding Framework started with the budget of 2016/17. Unfortunately, due to the unanticipated reduction in the indicative ceiling of the Higher Education, the Line Ministry could not apply budget allocation as per the Funding Formula.
- Policy issues surrounding tuition fees adjustment were subjected to stakeholders’ consultation in 2014 and have since been encapsulated in the Funding Framework for Public Higher Education Institutions. The academic year 2016 saw the introduction of the central adjustment of Tuition Fees in public Higher Education Institutions.
- The Higher Education Management Information System (HEMIS) has been designed and introduced in 2014 to collect, process and disseminate data from all the higher education institutions and for estimating subsidies to public higher education institutions. Though the system remained partly operational since its introduction, Council managed to publish two respective statistical publications, the 2013 and 2014 Namibia Higher Education Statistical Yearbooks in 2015 and 2016.
Ladies and Gentlemen
To seal all that I have just mentioned and to show that your hard work didn’t go unnoticed even on the international front, NCHE just before your end of term in September 2016 was awarded an International Star Award for Quality in the Gold category for Commitment to Quality, Leadership, Technology and Innovation in pursuit of excellence in Geneva, Switzerland. What a better send-off can one desire than this. Give yourself a round of applause, Team!
This short but important gathering is just to honour and thank you, Council, Alternate and Co-opted Members for your tireless commitment and valuable contribution to the success of the NCHE during the period the Third Council has served.
I would also like to thank the Secretariat Staff for their professional, technical, and administrative support they have accorded to the Third Council.
Furthermore, my appreciation goes to all our stakeholders for your continuous cooperation during the period on the Third Council.
Finally, I would like extend our sincere gratitude to the Minister of Higher Education, Training and Innovation for your leadership and guidance since your appointment, it was a pleasure for me to serve under your leadership. We wish you all the best of success in your appointment of the Fourth Council.
I Thank You!
