The seasoned activist at BOSETU

LEKOPANYE MOOKETSI
Correspondent | Thursday June 26, 2008 00:00

He is fond of quoting former Cuban leader, Fidel Castro. Lekabe is holding the fort after former BOSETU president, Eric Ditau was transferred to the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs.  Before his elevation, Lekabe was the union's vice president. He joined the teaching service in 1998 after graduating from the Tonota College of Education. In 2000, he was elected Kgatleng region chairperson of Botswana Federation of Secondary School Teachers (BOFESETE) the fore-runner of BOSETU. 

He recalled this was the time when real activism for the teacher's rights started. By then, they were lobbying for parallel progression and the improvement of conditions of service. When BOFESETE embarked on a strike in 2002, Lekabe was already a seasoned foot soldier in the teachers' movement. 'When we embarked on a strike in 2002, we were moving from one school to another.  That is when our activities intensified.'Lekabe reflected that the Kgatleng region was successful in organising the strike and other activities to promote teachers' rights.  

He was elected BOFESETE vice president in 2004. His vision is to restore the integrity of the teaching service in line with the union's vision. He said the integrity of teachers has been eroded by the powers that be. He said due to this, the teaching profession is no longer recognised or given the respect that it deserves.

Lekabe defines teachers as human resource trainers who deserve respect. 'They deserve integrity. But we have some people in authority who feel that a teacher must come second.  They tend to forget that if a teacher is unhappy, our human resources base would be affected,' he said.He asserted that it is clear teachers are not recognised by the government.  He feels this is why teachers have been left out of the recently implemented scarce skills allowance. Lekabe believes that teachers who are teaching subjects like Physics and Business Studies should have been in the scarce skills category. He added that teaching on its own is a skill.

He said when they inquired from the Ministry of Education about the scarce skills allowance, they were told that it was implemented by the Directorate of Public Service and Management (DPSM).Lekabe said teachers were left out of the Organisational and Methods exercise which offers extra pay for local government employees.  'I was in the task team and we made very good recommendations. But nothing has been done for teachers,' he said. 

He added that their bosses have created posts for themselves through the exercise. Lekabe said it is not easy to progress as a teacher. He said a teacher can only expect to be promoted if a headteacher dies or resigns. 

He said they have been holding talks with the Botswana Examinations Council to pay teachers proper rates for marking. Currently, teachers get P160 as night allowance for marking while examination council employees get P600. 'We feel that there is something wrong.'Lekabe is hoping that maybe the new administration of Ian Khama will bring some improvements in the teaching profession.

But the teachers are also prepared for the worst. 'If you are a fighter, you should always prepare for the worst variable. Your head is always on the block,' he quoted Castro.  Lekabe said one of his mentors in teacher activism has been former BOFESTE president, Baboloki Tlale who was his head teacher at Linchwe Junior Secondary School (JSS). He said he started to enjoy his work when he worked with Tlale.Before he went to Linchwe, Lekabe taught at Moruakgomo JSS in Molepolole, where, he said, he encountered a difficult headteacher. He  describes their former Zimbabwean head teacher as notorious.'I didn't believe in her management style.  I wrote a petition against her and 80 percent of the teachers were transferred while her contract was terminated,' he said.When he was a student at the Tonota College of Education (TCE), he was the Minister for Academic Affairs. He was also a head boy at junior and senior secondary school. 

Lekabe intends to contest the BOSETU presidency during elections in August.