A Comparative Analysis of the Organisation and Management of the Education Systems of Namibia and Zimbabwe

Abstract

Until 21st March 2015 in Namibia, the education sector is treated as a single sector thus its educational institution management was headed by a Ministry of Education. This is an important aspect of this type of management because of the advantage of having one minister who can look into overall aspects of education, who is accountable to Cabinet, and accountable to the appointing authority. The Management and organisation of education in Zimbabwe is also the responsibility of two ministers, namely the Minister of Education, Sport, and Culture - for formal education - and the Minister of Higher Education and Technology - for tertiary education. Zimbabwe is home to nearly 13 million people -approximately six times the population of Namibia. This may be a contributing factor for having two ministries. Given its population, it then seems logical and rational from a management point of view, for Zimbabwe to have two Ministries of Education, but then Namibia with a population lower than that of Zimbabwe also currently has two Ministries of Education. Another management feature to compare and study between these two countries is the hierarchical structure of educational institutions under the guidance and direction of their respective ministers of education. Significant differences exists in this regard. For example, in Namibia, educational institution management is highly centralised and integrated in terms of policy and decision-making such that it uses a top-down approach. In other words, the centre of the Ministry of Education manages educational institutions together with the rest of the bureaucratic and technocratic systems of management. Zimbabwe’s institutional management is, however, neither centrally nor ministerially driven because nine provinces and 59 districts can make their own decisions on policy, planning, implementation, and reporting under the guideline of the centre. This high degree of decentralisation seems to be a rather bottom-up approach to management that is closer to those who use education services. Naturally it is difficult to determine which approach is most relevant and applicable to generate the expected outcomes mainly because each system of management has its merits and demerits.