The Office of the Secretary to the Cabinet says that serious public service delivery challenges at institutions of higher education require collective solutions from all Namibians.
In a statement, the office states that these challenges should not be seen as unique to those institutions alone and that all stakeholders should address them.
The official statement came after Dr. Simataa was quoted as remarking at the just-concluded Public Service Enterprises CEO's Forum that the International University of Management (IUM) and the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) were offering the wrong courses.
Instead, the office said that it was aware that IUM, as a registered private higher education institution, may offer science and technology subjects, and the government will not hesitate to push for quality as outlined in the Higher Education Act.
The statement added that the offering of quality accredited science and technology courses at private tertiary institutions has proven difficult due to a lack of adequate infrastructure, dedicated staff members, software, and non-compliance with admission requirements.
The office pointed out that it was therefore in agreement with the Secretary to Cabinet's call on the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) to ensure that tertiary education institutions are registered and offer appropriate courses.
It states that if an institution is registered to train Namibians in medicine and then shifts to business management or vocational training, it would not be good practice and should not be allowed in the interests of the students.
Regarding the Namibia University of Science and Technology, Dr. Simaata stated that while NUST has improved its science and technology programmes, more should be done to increase enrollment rates in these programmes and introduce more courses in the field.
He mentioned courses in the programmes of agricultural, water, and mining technology development, space science and technology, artificial intelligence, and machine learning.