BOSETU Observations Made On First Week Of Back-To-School

Correspondent | Monday January 16, 2017 11:20

We would like to reiterate that, this happens this year yet again, like in all other past years. We have received reports on the ground by teachers, who are our members of unavailability of basic teaching and learning resources in schools.

We note with disdain that teachers are grappling with difficult situations of unavailability basic teaching and learning resources in the form of exercise books, notebooks and textbooks.

This floppy start has affected teaching and learning in a lot of schools this past week, as there was almost no teaching and learning activities in such schools owing to this crisis. This erosion of precious time for teaching and learning would definitely have dire consequences at the end of the students’ programme, and would no doubt show in the final year results.

We condemn with the strongest terms possible the demand by school authorities that parents should buy for their children such needed material.

It is well known that students from poor backgrounds are not able to, and this exposes such students and disadvantages them.  It is common knowledge that this past week saw unavailability of food in schools, resulting in students being made to knock off from school earlier than usual. This as well negatively affected teaching and learning in most schools over this past week. We learnt that a student fainted in some far-flung areas as a result of hunger.

These early knocking offs due to unavailability of food has done a telling damage to teaching and learning over the past week and would have far-reaching consequences. 

Our view as BOSETU is that the Ministry of Basic Education officials slept on the job and have shown as they have always exhibited, the highest degree of incompetence by not procuring such necessities well on time so that they could be available at the beginning the school term.

We call upon the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Basic Education to come out to explain to the public what has happened and what would be done to minimise the negative effects of this loss of time.

Tobokani Rari