Venson-Moitoi turns unsavoury
Gothataone Moeng | Monday March 31, 2014 16:00
The debate, on Okavango MP Bagalatia Arone’s motion asking the Ministry of Education and Skills Development (MoESD) to allow the students to repeat their senior secondary school, was destined to turn ugly following the ministry’s announcement on television last week that the students would be allowed to re-sit exams. The ministry’s announcement effectively killed Arone’s motion as it pre-empted parliament’s discussions. The motion was defeated after a 19-14 vote.
But discussions became really ugly when Venson-Moitoi rose to debate on Friday, when it was clear she had taken exception to MP Gibson Nshimwe’s plea that the minister “swallow her pride” and withdraw the announcement. Venson-Moitoi said that she did not like the insinuation that her ministry was taking the future of the students lightly. “Ga nkake ka rutwa pelegi ke banna,” she said, explaining that she speaks as a mother who knows labour pains.
When MPs questioned the ministry’s decision to use BOCODOL to tutor the students, and their disregard for Arone’s suggestion that the students be admitted in groups to schools in the area, Venson-Moitoi said that schools are already full.
She said she was surprised that MPs supported Arone’s suggestion, when they consistently condemn her for the disproportional student-teacher ratio in schools. “Ke omanyetswa gore ma-tichera ba hekeetswa ke bana. Ka gore le tshola bana thata lona ba le santseng le tshola. Le a tshola le ba gasagasa mo. Le ithaya le re basadi ba a itshodisa,” Venson-Moitoi said.
Speaker of the National Assembly Margaret Nasha intervened, asking her to ignore the jabs from opposition MPs and stick to her debate. But even then Venson-Moitoi continued.
“I just hate this level of hypocrisy - le tshola e bo le re bana ba bantsi,” she said.
MPs who debated after the minister did not take kindly to it, constantly referring to it in their debates.
Francistown West MP, Dr Habaudi Hobona, said the ministry’s decision was as good as condemning the more than 600 students to Ipelegeng. At this, Venson-Moitoi retorted: “I worked for Ipelegeng, and I had my first child in 1970 before going to secondary school. Today I am a minister.”
“You are a lucky one but the majority of these students will not be as lucky,” Dr Hobona responded, “Forget about conception, go and educate these children.” She said the ministry’s decision was also as good as condemning the children to death.
Tonota South MP, Pono Moatlhodi, also could not resist throwing a barb at the minister, saying “Ipelegeng is not a point of pride.”
However, Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD), Olebile Gaborone, cautioned Parliament against making “inflammatory and populist statements.”