Students union rejects ‘militarised’ youth employment approach

The Students Union of Namibia (SUN) has criticised the government’s latest proposal to absorb more unemployed youth into the security sector, calling it a “militarisation of unemployment” and a failure to offer meaningful, long-term economic alternatives.

The union was reacting to a recent statement from the Office of the Prime Minister, which outlines plans to recruit young people into the police force, defence force and correctional services.

“Namibia is a peaceful country. There is no current or imminent threat that warrants an increase in military personnel,” SUN’s secretary for information and publicity, Labos Malapi, said in a statement issued on Thursday.

He said the over-reliance on recruitment into the security sector reflects a dangerous and narrow approach that undermines genuine development, creativity and economic transformation.

The students argue that placing large numbers of young people in correctional and defence jobs is neither sustainable nor aligned with the country’s development goals.

“What we are seeing is a misdiagnosis of the youth unemployment crisis. Why is the state investing so heavily in security while underfunding sectors like education, health, agriculture and industrial development?” he asked.

SUN also raises concerns about the influence of first gentleman Epaphras Ndaitwah, a retired military general, over what they perceive as a security-heavy employment policy.

“We are concerned that his proximity to the presidency may be skewing national priorities in favour of the security cluster. If this is the case, we urge him to use his influence instead to champion neglected issues like the empowerment of the boy child,” Malapi said.

The union also criticised the government’s recent announcement of free education at tertiary level, which it said was made without proper consultation or planning.

“There has been no meaningful engagement with students, parents, higher education institutions, or civil society. We reject tokenistic decisions that are politically convenient but lack clarity, implementation and fairness,” Malapi said.

SUN described the current model of selectively funding students at only public institutions as “discriminatory and unconstitutional”, calling for a fair model that includes private and accredited international institutions.

“Every Namibian parent pays tax. Therefore, every Namibian student deserves equal access to funding, regardless of where they study. We demand jobs, not boots, classrooms, not command posts, industries, not prisons, education for all, not for a selected few,” Malapi added.

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