By: Annakleta Haikera
Schools in both Kavango East and Kavango West continue to face serious challenges accessing reliable internet and mobile network services, with inadequate tower infrastructure limiting digital learning and administration.
The challenges came under scrutiny on Monday as the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information and Communication Technology (ICT), chaired by Sebastiaan Karupu, conducted an oversight visit to the two regions.
In Kavango West, Regional Education Director, Pontianus Musore, told the committee that most schools remain without reliable internet access.
The region has 188 schools serving about 55,002 learners, but only a small portion currently has adequate connectivity.
Musore said poor connectivity is undermining teaching and learning, school administration, and plans to introduce advanced-level subjects, leaving many learners unable to benefit fully from digital educational resources.
The region has, however, received some infrastructure support. Three new network towers at Kandumbu village, Wini in Mpungu Constituency and Naimanya in Tondoro Constituency were constructed to provide connectivity to surrounding schools and health facilities.
The towers were awaiting connection to the national power grid, delaying their full use.
In Kavango East, Regional Education Director, Christine Shilima, also raised concerns over inadequate connectivity and called for increased digitalisation of schools.
The region has 197 schools serving about 86,282 learners, but only a small portion currently has adequate connectivity.
She told the committee that the region had received only one tower through the Universal Service Fund, which she described as inadequate.
Shilima said some schools still lack connectivity, while rural communities continue to struggle with weak network coverage, limiting learners’ access to online learning materials.
The concerns were echoed by Mashare Constituency Councillor Peter Kashumali, who said some rural schools and communities still depend on poor network services, making it difficult for teachers and learners to access educational information and communicate effectively.
The connectivity gaps persist despite government efforts to expand infrastructure through the Universal Service Fund, which has prioritised Kavango East and Kavango West among regions with lower broadband coverage.
The ICT committee’s visit highlighted that constructing towers alone is not enough. Infrastructure must be connected to power, properly maintained, and supported with sufficient capacity to ensure schools can actually use reliable internet.
For learners in remote parts of the Kavango regions, the digital divide, therefore, remains a major barrier to equal access to education, particularly as schools increasingly depend on online platforms and digital learning materials.
The committee is expected to use the findings from its regional consultations to inform recommendations on improving telecommunications infrastructure and digital access in underserved communities.
The connectivity concerns come as government and telecommunications stakeholders continue efforts to bridge the digital divide in the Kavango regions.
Through the Universal Service Fund (USF), the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) has prioritised regions with less than 80% 4G coverage, in line with the National Broadband Policy.
These include Kavango West, Kavango East, Kunene, Ohangwena, and Oshikoto.
In addition to expanding telecommunications infrastructure, the USF has provided 16 schools and four clinics with uncapped Wi-Fi, aimed at improving access to digital services in underserved communities.
Meanwhile, in Kavango West, Telecom Namibia has partnered with the Ministry of Education under the School Internet Connectivity Project to provide reliable internet to 21 schools in the region.
Each participating school will receive a minimum of 25 Mbps broadband service for five years, according to Telecom Namibia CEO Stanley Shanapinda, who announced the initiative during an ICT stakeholders’ engagement at Simanya River Lodge in Kavango West in February this year.
