Underperforming school heads face the axe
Baboki Kayawe | Thursday June 2, 2016 18:00
Though the goal was to re-tool those whose performance was found wanting, assistant minister of education and skills development, Moiseraela Goya said dismal performers will be laid off. This week the state media reported that Goya told educators in Letlhakane village that the move “to expel underperforming school heads was to improve the quality of education because the fortunes of the nation were tied to the quality of educational institutions.” In an interview with Mmegi yesterday, Goya however said the purpose of this assessment was to provide solutions to the prevailing poor examinations results. He said it is meant to measure school heads’ level of capacity to execute duties and to device remedial training.
“The assessment will look into school heads’ performances across all levels. We are going to get statistics and records of how schools were performing prior to the placement of their current school heads relative to how learners performed during the tenure of the respective school heads,” he explained.
“Dismissal will be the last resort. The intention is to really revive our education system and see value for expenditure in the sector through the provision of relevant corrective training,” stressed Goya.
There have been concerns that government’s disinvestment and lack of prioritising the in-service training department was to blame for the deteriorating public schools results.
In response to this critique, Goya said the problem was that in the past this capacitating process was not informed by a skills gap.
“The problem was that in-service training neglected skills assessment. This time around we are going to identify skills gap; we will go to the depth of issues to find out what problems both social and professional stood in the way of school heads’ delivery,” he said. Details of the anticipated assessment are still sketchy as Goya was yet to meet with the entire education ministry to chart a way forward. He said he hoped the process will be carried out during this financial year.