Despair after school sports suspension
Calistus Kolantsho | Friday March 13, 2020 12:28
Before 2011, there was relative calm in paradise. But a game changing civil servants strike in 2011, saw teachers being moved from the Teaching Service Act to the Public Service Act. The move meant the teachers were now entitled to overtime.
For the first few years the government coped with paying overtime, although cracks were to emerge later, with the State struggling to shell dues.
In 2017 school sports associations had to request for funding to pay teachers. Since then, to date, there has been little or no peace. Successive ministers have failed to decisively deal with the issue, with school children at the receiving end. The challenge came full cycle this week when the Ministry of Basic Education (MoBE), permanent secretary, Bridget John dropped the bombshell. She announced the suspension of sports at schools.
“The priority of the ministry in 2020 is therefore to find money to settle the debt arising from 2019. Currently, the ministry owes about P32 million to teachers for their participation in the 2019 ball games,” reads part of her statement.Reacting to the development, University of Botswana senior lecturer in sport and exercise psychology, Dr Tshepang Tshube said the immediate impact to both students and teachers is disappointment, demotivation and uncertainty. “Students were looking forward to sport at school, zonal and national level.
This has a significant impact and immediate suspension demotivates teachers and questions the government commitment to school sport. This has created uncertainty and anxiety about school sport. This uncertainty and anxiety is easily transferable to other areas in schools such as commitment to academic outcome,” he said.
Tshube said the long-term effect would be observed in poor academic results, indiscipline in schools and poor sport performance. He added that the suspension has compromised a lot of careers in sport.
But is this due to poor budgeting?
“In my opinion, this is not a budget issue but rather planning, responsibility and commitment to the role of sport or physical activity in child development. All government and non-government stakeholders, MoBE, Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development, Ministry of Local Government need to take responsibility and plan to provide a long-term solution. The government needs to demonstrate its commitment to the role of sports or physical activity in child development because these kids have been deprived the right to play,” he said.
Tshube said there are a number of strategies for a long-term solution. He suggested that the government should revise the Act to have extra curricula activities, particularly sport as part of teachers’ job and separate teachers from other civil servants.
He said the nature of a teacher’s job should not be comparable to a standard civil servant.
“Teachers should be given other incentives such as a school holiday, training in sport studies such as coaching, physical training and life skills. In addition, the government can hire coaches (who may also be teachers) to coach and administer sport at school level. MYSC needs to engage more because the long-term impact is dire for sport,” he said.
Tshube said the ministry needs to pay teachers all outstanding arrears. “Following this, the ministry needs to engage teachers for a long-term solution. The parties should not only look at financial incentives but look at opportunities for teachers’ training,” he added.
BOSETU secretary general, Tabokani Rari said they have not been informed on the matter although it falls under their ambit.
“Last year, we warned teachers against participating in school sport activities but there were some who defied us and decided to participate. The government decided to pay teachers nominal participation allowance of P500 per day. BOSETU released a statement last year citing that teachers are employees regulated by the Public Service Act.
“It is disheartening to note that putting so much of their time and labour, educators find themselves appreciated with this ‘nominal allowance’. This so-called allowance is far less than what they would be compensated with had the provisions of the Employment Act stated above been respected,” argued BOSETU in the statement.
Rari said the P500 is below the minimum overtime allowance and government must recognise that sport is critical and one of the drivers of the economy. He added that the government must be ready to pay for sport participation.
Rari said if the government wants to bask in the glory of the likes of Isaac Makwala it should be prepared to pay.
“We welcome the step taken by government. Not that we do not like sport, but as long as the government does not have funds to nurture sport, it cannot depend on voluntarism.
Sport cannot be done at the expense of teachers,” he said. The government, through the statement this week, said sport would be done during working hours. BOSETU criticised the decision saying that education is already in crisis.
“The ministry is calling for disaster and we are against that decision. This would kill education,” Rari added. Some of the stakeholders believe that the ministry made the right call to suspend school sport until payments were made. They believe that the decision would ensure the debt does not accumulate.
Other school sports associations, BISA and BOPSSA said they were consulted on the situation, although the decision was ‘sad and regrettable’.
“The situation at the ministry has been building as far back as 2014. BISA has had issues of funds since then. We have missed some competitions regionally because of funds,” BISA president, Joshua Gaotlhobogwe said.
He added the ministry has been engaging them on the challenges the government was facing over a couple of years. He said it was a carefully considered decision to suspend sport in schools.