Saleshando, Moatlhodi call for inquest on education

Gothataone Moeng | Thursday March 6, 2014 17:18

 

While debating the Ministry of Education and Skills Development (MOESD) budget proposals on Tuesday, Saleshando said it is clear that the government has failed in meeting the education promises it had set in the National Vision 2016.

He said that through Vision 2016, the government had promised that high quality education would be a priority, but this has not been achieved.

 Instead, the standard of education has deteriorated. The Gaborone Central MP said through the national vision, the government promised compulsory education, but that there are still many children who are out of school, who will end up as cheap labour.

He said government promised to change the system of automatic progression, but learners are still moving from primary to junior secondary school even when they can barely read.

He said the government has failed on the promises of providing quality pre-primary education and teaching mother tongue languages in schools.

Saleshando said with the current environment, the nation will not get a meaningful return on the investment it has made in education.

He said it was important to set up a commission because recommendations from the Kedikilwe Commission of 1993 have not been implemented.

Moatlhodi, who is also the deputy speaker, said he advocates for the setting up of a commission of retired teachers and university professors to solve the problems in the education sector. 

He said the Botswana education system should be improved to become competitive and to produce graduates who can work anywhere in the world.  Meanwhile, the Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Olebile Gaborone said there should be equity in education despite the location of the learner.

He called for the improvement of supervision of facilities after they are handed over for use.  He said too often, facilities are allowed to become dilapidated, with little maintenance.