The Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts, and Culture has attributed the temporary suspension of 2027 learner admissions in parts of the Erongo Region to schools applying a first-come, first-served system, which triggered panic among parents.

Responding to an urgent oral question from IPC MP Bertha Nghifikwa, Education Minister Dr. Sanet Steenkamp explained that the admissions process remains in the application phase and that learner placements have not yet commenced.

She outlined measures to address overcrowding in Erongo, including the construction of new schools in Henties Bay and Walvis Bay, as well as a primary and secondary school in the DRC informal settlement of Swakopmund under the government's decongestion programme.

Steenkamp assured the National Assembly that every learner will be allocated a school for the 2027 academic year, although placements may not be at parents' preferred schools.