Poor education results: What can Parliament do?

Dithapelo Keorapetse | Friday January 27, 2017 15:57

Why do we have poor results in public schools and outstanding results in private schools? Are private school students inherently more intelligent than those at public schools? What can the legislature do about this problem of plummeting results?

Parliament has to simply be honest about the problem including its causes, effects and possible solutions. If the country was dealing with a transformative legislature with the capacity, ability and attitude to change things for the better, the education crisis would end. There is a portfolio committee responsible for matters relating to education.

However, it has not delivered in terms of investigating the matter and offering solutions. Part of the problem is the issue about parliamentary committees; they are effectively dead. Parliament could set up a select committee specifically to probe the education system; it can also request the President to appoint a presidential commission of inquiry on education with educational experts and other professionals to advice the country on the way forward. The last time education in Botswana was profoundly probed was in early 1990s, the Kedikilwe Commission. Some of its recommendations haven’t been implemented. Whichever committee is set up would have to establish why the results are going down year in year out, the effects of poor results and remedial measures.

When Members of Parliament go around schools meeting students, teachers, education managers and trade unions as well as parents and community leaders, there are some things which are clearly not going well at schools. In many schools, there is serious shortage of furniture for both teachers and students. In some schools, teachers mark scripts in their cars because there are neither chairs or desks nor offices to use. Learners have to improvise on furniture. On reprographics, many schools are without functional machines and it is almost impossible to print or photocopy monthly or term examination papers. Students go without writing monthly exams in most schools due to dysfunctional photocopiers or printers.  

Essential teaching and learning materials are in serious shortage or non-existing in some schools. In one school, there were no test-tubes, bunsen burners and other science materials and chemicals. Imagine a student going into science examinations at form three without any form of experience with basic science apparatus. There are no properly and adequately equipped science or computer laboratories in most public schools. There are structures called labs but these are not labs in the true sense of the word. Would learners in such circumstances pass their exams and become scientists?

Worse in many schools, there is serious shortage of texts books and stationery. In the past, around 1980s to around 2000s, learners were heavily laden with texts books and had variety, whereas a contemporary Motswana learner is without basic texts books. Because of the obsession by the government to reduce the wage bill, most support staff of lower scales who exit the system through death, retirement, resignations and other ways are not replaced. Therefore, many subjects such as science, agriculture and others needing support staff are negatively affected.

There are many qualified teachers roaming the streets whilst there is acute shortage of teachers at schools. There is artificial acute shortage in that one teacher is burdened with 40-50 or more students in a class.

This preposterous student-teacher ratio in public schools is a taboo in private schools; at private schools a teacher with the assistance of a teacher aid are dealing with less than 20 students. This encumbrance on teachers at public schools negatively impacts on teaching and learning and consequently on the results. 

Teachers’ conditions of service are appalling; they either don’t have accommodation or live in dilapidated or unmaintained houses. The little available accommodation is shared even by married teachers and their families.

Teachers are poorly paid and they have been fighting protracted battles with the state on levels of operations, overtime and other allowances and other disputes of right and interest they have against the employer. The government has been ruthless and malicious in matters of collective bargaining with teachers; it has arbitrarily declared them essential service to curtail their right to strike. It is an all-out war between the state and public sector unions including teachers unions. These unions are in and out of court against the government. These problems faced by teachers are demoralising and affect teaching and learning. In the past, because teachers were happier than they are now, many teachers used to supervise late afternoon and weekend studies by students, they used to assist learners outside their normal paid work schedule and they used to willingly and happily initiate and facilitate extra-curricular activities which aid learning. Because of the meanness and lackadaisical attitude of the government, teachers are unmotivated to work extra hours.

They are simply unhappy. The government has over the years reduced the teaching profession to being unattractive and less respectable. That parents are not serious is not entirely true, many schools are greatly assisted by Parents and Teachers Associations such that these PTAs finance numerous school operations. Facebook and other social media accusations is suspect. Electricity and the internet are one of the biggest problems in this country, in many parts there is no internet connection. Again considering the digital divide, why do learners in urban areas perform better than in very rural areas?

Ideally, Parliament has to probe the education status and find some answers. The President of the Republic has not been very serious about the education system, he may not have a clue about what is going on; he is neither a product of the system nor interested in it-he hates reading by his own admission. Because our Assembly is predominantly Cabinet, not to mention the ruling party, the education crisis will be trivialised and relegated to a non-issue. This, however, shouldn’t stop those MPs with alternatives to present them and make them known to Batswana.