Eighteen inmates at the Windhoek Correctional Facility have taken the Commissioner-General of the Namibian Correctional Service to court, saying decisions taken by new officials at the facility have made it difficult for them to continue with their tertiary studies.

The inmates say their access to the education laboratory, where they use personal laptops for online and distance learning, was reduced from about six hours per weekday to two hours after a new head of educational services and a new officer-in-charge took over in 2025.

According to the court papers, the inmates previously studied in the education laboratory under camera surveillance and supervision by security personnel and education officers. They say the arrangement allowed them to watch recorded online lectures, conduct internet research, read study materials, download academic content, type assignments, complete online assessments and prepare for exams.

The inmates claim the changes began shortly after the new head of educational services took office in May 2025. They say she repeatedly referred to them as “spoilt” and reminded them that they are prisoners, while expressing dissatisfaction that they were in the laboratory for what she described as the “whole day”.

They allege that by June 2025, their laboratory access had already been reduced to one hour, and that access was also stopped at the end of the first semester exams, including for those who were enrolled in year-long modules and those scheduled to write second-opportunity exams.

The inmates say some students failed modules because they were not allowed to prepare for second-opportunity exams, and they attach a progress report as part of their case.

According to the inmates, the officer-in-charge told them the change was linked to instructions allegedly given by senior officials during a visit in late 2025, directing that inmates across different security classifications should not mix in the education laboratory.

The inmates say they were not given anything in writing about this instruction and that the reason was only raised after the new head of educational services had already pushed for reduced hours.

The inmates say they now spend most of the day without access to their study materials, while their courses require ongoing participation, online assessments, and assignment submissions. 

They further point to what they say happened to one of the applicants, American inmate Kevan Townsend, whose studies were allegedly stopped by the head of educational services in October 2025. The inmates say the matter was taken to the High Court and was later settled, allowing Townsend to continue studying.

The group is asking the court to intervene, saying the changes undermine their education and rehabilitation efforts.