In Namibia, during the colonial period, forests were regarded as a source of wood managed to satisfy the needs of the colonizers, without consideration of the role and the needs of the communities. Accordingly, curricula were designed and built without consulting the stakeholders who are the real users of the forest. Owing essentially to the technical training traditionally followed by the forestry scientists, forestry problems were merely perceived as technical problems rather than as a social construct. The curricula they were following did not regard the forestry sector as a system where different stakeholders are involved and have a role to play in the sustainable development of forests. Their curricula lacked objectivity, consideration of local realities and multidisciplinary involvement.
In the 1970s and 1980s, some changes occurred and forestry started to move away from the traditional "forest is a wood" orientation to include economic, social and environmental concerns.
In 1992, the first Forest Policy was drafted, based on the immediate and long-term needs of the people. In the same year, the Finnish forestry education and training programme (SADC AAA 5.9) was implemented.
Ogongo Agricultural College (OAC) is the only institution offering forestry training in Namibia. The Forestry Curriculum Development Process is based on the SADC AAA 5.9 Curriculum Development Philosophy and Procedure, which follows a particular pattern, as the result is achieved by a step-by-step process and produces a behaviour-oriented curriculum that identifies the knowledge, skills and attitudes to be developed.
Following the SADC principles, procedures and methodologies, since 1992 six curriculum development workshops have been conducted as well as three training needs assessments in agriculture and forestry. All these activities have stressed the shortage of national forestry staff and the type of training required by the country, together with the kind of stakeholders and the extent of their involvement. Some work is being done to respond to these needs; however, urgent and intensive efforts are still required in order to consolidate the participatory curriculum development process, which is already in place, and to ensure its efficient application and sustainability.
