Teachers abandon Form 5 marking
Innocent Selatlhwa | Thursday December 15, 2016 16:00
This week, sources close to the development said teachers marking mainly History had dropped their marking pens in protest.
“The teachers are not happy with non-payment of their sustenance allowance as well as other marking conditions,” said one source.
Botswana Sector of Educators Trade Union (BOSETU) secretary general, Tobokani Rari said they had received reports on the matter from teachers. “We are told by teachers that BEC reduced the marking period from the initial two weeks and in the process, their dues were decreased without consultation,” he said. Rari said the BEC’s refusal to engage trade unions was “a blunder” that needed to be dealt with. At present, public sector unions and the BEC do not engage directly, but go through the parent ministry. “If we were to have an agreement with BEC, there would never be a chance for teachers to boycott,” Rari said. “We always have issues with BEC every year and examinations are sensitive as they deal with lives of the candidates. These things impact the whole system including the BEC.”
The matter was discussed in the Kgatleng District Council meeting, where the BEC was called to explain the troubles around the examinations, among other issues. Council chair, Mpho Morolong told Mmegi he had raised the issue. “I asked them why they had not told us that History teachers had abandoned marking due to non-payment of incentives.
They replied and said the matter was being attended to by their superiors,” he said. Morolong slammed the BEC for the latest developments. “This is frustrating. The teachers do not deserve this. Why should they suffer from other people’s administrative mistakes? “Our teachers are already unhappy. Why increase their burden,” he said. BEC spokesperson Fingile Makgalemele denied that any teachers had abandoned their posts.
“I do not know of them abandoning marking. We are however aware that they had some complaints which are unclear for now. These are being investigated but as we speak, they are marking,” she said.