A-Levels not ideal for gov�t schools � Rari
Lesedi Mkhutshwa | Tuesday August 8, 2017 16:01
Rari was reacting to a statement, which was made by chief education officer in the Ministry of Basic Education (MoBE), Moses Mengwe during the recent National Primary School Heads Convention.
During the meeting, Mengwe said that A-Levels would be introduced in “the near future” without going into much details.
Mengwe explained that the decision to introduce A-Levels in public schools is part of the National Curriculum and Qualifications Framework currently under design and nearing completion. He said that the introduction of a one-year A-Level course would ensure that Botswana’s education system tallies with that of other countries globally.
Rari said that in their view the introduction of A-Levels should be precipitated by very good reasons. He argued that as of now, the reasons they get from MoBE, which states that students need to compete internationally, are not convincing.
“Our honest assessment is that the products of our education system are doing well when given a chance to compete worldwide. An introduction of A-Levels would not automatically improve the education system,” he said.
According to BOSETU, rather than introducing A-levels the government should concentrate on improving the quality of the current education setup.
He added that the introduction of A-Levels would require a lot of money and resources, while the mainstream public education is currently moribund.
“There is dire shortage of laboratories and practical subjects specialised rooms, equipment and tools used in those practical subjects. “There is also shortage of books, and classes are simmering at their tops, which leaves students - teacher ratio really prohibiting for efficient learning and teaching,” Rari said.
Currently, A-Levels and equivalent programmes are only offered by private schools in the country.