Unemployed graduates decry nepotism, corruption in teachers' hiring
Mpho Mokwape | Friday May 18, 2018 15:49
The sector that has been for years marred with controversy, especially with the declining students performance seems to not catch a break as the graduates are now taking a stand against the government.
A new movement, going under tagline ‘Unemployment graduates teachers’ has decided to stand and petition those responsible for the sector mess. The movement chairperson, Kesaobaka Ditshike says lack of recruitment procedures have created an environment where graduates are hired unfairly.
Ditshike who been unemployed since 2015, told a press briefing yesterday at Botswana Teachers Union (BOSETU) offices that the unbecoming phenomenon of administrative impropriety regarding recruitment of teachers has created problems for the sector.
He accused those responsible for the sector of failing to put measures in place that would allow the recruitment of teachers, especially temporary ones to be done accordingly.
“There is no recruitment procedure and this breeds corruption and nepotism equally. There are candidates who are continually given offers on temporary basis without a break whilst others are not considered for any,” said Ditshike.
He said the practice was badly unfair, as one may not successfully lodge a complaint where there was no procedure requesting that there was a need for procedural clarity and fairness so that everyone interested benefit accordingly.
For permanent teachers, Ditshike argued that impropriety regarding recruitment was partly due to lack of procedural clarity to what fashion and shape the recruitment has to take.
He noted that often it was assumed that for permanent positions, recruitment does not require advertisement but rather a sequential selection from the list of graduates was done.
“We experience spontaneous problems of deliberate errors of preferential treatment of certain individuals being absorbed without adherence to this procedure. Clarity should be given by authorities in those circumstances of clumsiness and lack of reasonableness,” he said. Ditshike decried that the constant nepotism and corruption practices have disadvantaged deserving candidates who had legitimately expected to be absorbed sooner only to be told that errors omitted them from the list experience.
Furthermore, the graduates say as if it was not enough, temporary employed teachers are not granted maternity leave, but rather they have their contracts terminated on account of pregnancy.
The graduates slammed the government that the serious discriminatory conduct borders on infringement of human rights.
“Government as an employer should be the champion of workplace rights and freedoms, not to assume a dictatorial role of determining when and how one wants to bear and grow their children or plan their families,” Ditshike said.