Youth in Namibia

Although Namibia transitioned from apartheid to multiracial democracy in early 1990 after independence,^[5] the policies from the apartheid era have left a continued legacy of significant inequalities. The burden of many of these inequalities falls on Namibian youth in terms of education, employment, poverty, and health outcomes.^[6] Previous government policies in Namibia have been unfavorable for twenty-first-century youth, diminishing their ability to engage meaningfully in socio-economic and political activities of the society. Before Namibia's independence, the country's education system was designed to reinforce the Apartheid system rather than provide the necessary human resource base to promote equitable social and economic development. It was fragmented along racial and ethnic lines, in what was termed the Bantu Education system, which was also being enforced in black communities in South Africa, with vast disparities in both the allocation of resources and the quality of education offered. This had had a great impact on the quality of education in the country. During apartheid, black children in Namibia were being oppressed and exploited just like their parents.^[7] Education under apartheid meant they lacked proper education, due to poorly qualified teachers and poorly funded schools. Youth frequently got arrested and detained in jail, often without trial.^{[citation needed]}