Primary level subject specialisation consultations ongoing
Goitsemodimo Kaelo | Friday February 1, 2019 13:47
Arone told Ntlo Ya Dikgosi (NYD) on Tuesday that at the moment he is unable to say whether his ministry will consider subject specialisation or not, however, there are ongoing consultations and the research to determine such.
He said that currently, the country’s education system trains primary school teachers as generalists and therefore they teach all subjects in the curriculum.
“This practice is not peculiar to Botswana, even other countries with more advanced education systems follow the same convention. The United Kingdom and Finland are such examples,” Arone said.
He stated that his ministry is aware of dissenting voices from parents, educators, teachers or practitioners some advocating for, while others are against subject specialisation.
Arone’s answer followed a question by NYD’s Kgosi Colly Cock of Thamaga region who wanted the minister to explain why primary schools are still teaching seven subjects per person; whether he will consider introducing subject specialisation in order to address the current state of education and if subject specialisation piloting has been carried out in any of the schools in Botswana to determine the outcome.
Moreover, he said that the new curriculum that has been tabled in the Draft National Curriculum and Assessment Framework proposes a reduction in learning areas at primary level.
He stated that subject specialisation at primary level has its own advantages and disadvantages. “Learners’ psychological makeup at an early stage is such that they need to identify with one teacher throughout the year, who they can consider as a parent figure.
Also the system of subject specialisation does not allow the teacher time to know and understand their children. According to psychodynamic theories, which focus on how an individual develops a personality, the role of the teacher goes beyond teaching.
The teacher is expected to nurture the child at primary school level.
It has been proven that subject specialisation cannot for such nurturing,” he said.
According to Arone, the most developed countries notably such as the United States of America have adopted specialisation in terms of levels rather than specific subjects. “The teachers are therefore provided with departmental related specialisation, for instance, lower and upper primary levels, but remain generalists in terms of subject coverage,” he added.
The minister alluded that this is a subject matter of his personal interest and has forwarded some recommendations to Cabinet for consideration.
In the meantime, Arone said that there is need for strengthening of teacher training and to ensure that there is adherence to the student-teacher ratio.
However, speaking on behalf of the Botswana Federation of Public Private Parastatal Sector Unions (BOFEPUSU), Mogomotsi Motshegwa said that they have long advocated for subject specialisation and have shared their position with Arone.
“We are arguing that the old system of teacher-knows-all is outdated.
We need specialisation. If you take someone who is a master of a particular subject and directs his attention to that, it will enhance productivity. Imagine a teacher is made to make lesson plans for all the subjects, it is just cumbersome for teachers,” he said.
He said that this would also motivate children if they interact with different teachers, as they come with a variety of teaching styles and life experiences.
He said that due to limited resources such as infrastructure, subject specialisation could be introduced gradually in phases. “We could start with different disciplines, whereby we say one specialises in sciences and teaches maths and science, then for humanities we group subjects such as social studies, history and others. It needs a gradual approach,” he added.
Motshegwa dismissed the argument that subject specialisation takes away the nurturing and parenting aspect of teachers on children saying, ‘it’s backward thinking’.
He said that even at home, children should live under the guardianship of different people such as relatives from extended family, members of society, not just their fathers or mothers to improve their social interactive skills.
He said that the parenting aspect is taken care of at pre-primary level.