Cabinet approves PSLE abolition
Spira Tlhankane | Tuesday July 28, 2026 12:24
In a circular dated July 14, 2026, addressed to school heads at all PSLE centres, the exams body confirmed that preparations are already underway to manage the transition and ensure a smooth wind-down of the examination over the next few years. 'The Cabinet has approved the discontinuation of PSLE from 2029 and beyond,' the letter states, revealing for the first time that the examination's phase-out is now entering its implementation stage.
According to BEC, the move follows a briefing by the Secretary of Education to Regional Education Directors and school heads on the streamlining of PSLE-related activities beginning this year.
'Subsequently, the Secretary of Education briefed the Regional Education Director and School Heads on the streamlining of the PSLE-related activities from 2026,' BEC wrote.
As part of the transition, BEC is compiling a database of teachers with experience in marking PSLE scripts, saying the information will be critical in planning for the remaining examination cycles before the examination is eventually scrapped.
'In preparation for the discontinuation of the same examination, BEC would like to gather information on teachers who have marking experience or are currently marking PSLE,' the letter reads.
The Council instructed schools to submit details of teachers' marking experience, including the subjects they marked, their roles as assistant principal examiners or examiners, years of experience, and whether they are still active markers or last participated several years ago.
BEC said the information is needed to facilitate planning for both the 2026 PSLE and the remaining examination years before the examination is discontinued.
'The requested information is required for planning purposes for the assessment of the 2026 PSLE and beyond,' the BEC stated.
Schools have been given until August 4, 2026, to submit the information.
'Please provide the requested information by 04 August 2026 to enable BEC to effectively plan for the anticipated training for the 2026 PSLE centre-based marking,' the letter states.
The communication provides one of the clearest indications yet that the government has moved beyond policy discussions and has begun implementing the administrative processes required to retire the examination that has, for decades, served as Botswana's primary school exit assessment.
The move, government says, will pave the way for 12 years of uninterrupted basic education.
Last month, the Ministry of Child Welfare and Basic Education announced before Ntlo ya Dikgosi that Botswana intends to abolish PSLE.
This forms part of broader education reforms aimed at ensuring continuous learning, reducing barriers to progression and shifting towards competency-based assessment rather than relying on a single high-stakes examination.
The Ministry has argued that the reforms are intended to align Botswana's education system with global trends, which place greater emphasis on skills development, continuous assessment and holistic learner development instead of one-off examinations.
Education Minister, Nono Kgafela-Mokoka, recently told Parliament that Botswana has reviewed its entire general education curriculum.
She revealed they were replacing the traditional outcome-based model with a STEAM-driven skills and competency-based curriculum designed to make the education system more responsive to the country's development needs and internationally competitive.
The abolition of PSLE is expected to fundamentally change how learners transition from primary to junior secondary schools.
Government is proposing a system that guarantees uninterrupted progression through 12 years of basic education whilst placing greater emphasis on continuous assessment, learner support and psychosocial development.
Whilst the letter focuses on operational planning, it signals that education authorities are now actively managing the transition towards a post-PSLE system, with the examination expected to disappear after the 2028 sitting under Cabinet's approved reforms.