Teachers wary over minister's 'dress code'

CHANDAPIWA BAPUTAKI
Staff Writer | Friday January 22, 2010 00:00

Shortly after her appointment Venson-Moitoi revealed in a meeting attended by various stakeholders in education, her intention to introduce a new dress code for the teachers.

This revelation has been viewed with suspicion by the concerned parties who believe they will have to be consulted first before this plan is effected.

'As long as she is alive to the different situations that the teachers operate under then we will have to support her, but it will be a problem if she just brings her own stipulated dress code without having consulted us first,' Justin Hunyepa, executive secretary of the Botswana Secondary Teachers Union said.  'As unions we cannot allow our members to dress unprofessionally. All we are saying is that these are the modern days and she must not bring the old fashioned dress code like we heard her saying that short sleeves would not be allowed. We were just wondering how inappropriate are they and what should the females wear when it is hot,' Hunyepa said.

Keorapetse Kgasa of the Botswana Teachers Union (BTU) said as long as the minister is alive to the situations and conditions where teachers' work there would be no problem.

'If a teacher has to come every morning to teach under a tree I do not see why they should be forced to wear their best suits to sit under those trees. An agriculture teacher cannot be expected to go to the gardens to mix manure donning his suits, he would look foolish,' the BTU secretary general said.

Both Hunyepa and Kgasa agree that the minister should have focused more on teachers' living conditions that need to be improved.

Hunyepa: 'She should have stressed more on issues of productivity which would have been coupled with the teachers' working conditions. The conditions should be conducive for the teachers to be more productive,' he said adding that the student teachers ratio has increased in recent years. 'Teachers are de-motivated by the working conditions and we do not know why she is not talking about issues concerning the core business of education.'

Kgasa: 'What we still want to know is her plans about the motivational issues of the teachers in terms of incentives,' he said. He indicated that the BTU wants to know the minister's position on the Organisations and Methods Strategy which is being rolled out.

'Most of the TSM work has been decentralised, like the promotions have been decentralised to the regions. We want to know the plight of the teachers. We met her once after her appointment but we still have to meet her to get to know her programme because that first meeting was just to get to know one another.'

He went on to say that there is serious need to look at the welfare of teachers especially those in rural areas.

'She made a rhetoric statement about the low performing schools and we appreciate her intended efforts to improve their results. However we would appreciate it more and support her if she can solve the plight of teachers especially in rural areas,' said Kgasa, citing the example of teachers at Sehunou Primary School in the Central District, who have to walk 12 kilometers to and from school everyday as there is no accommodation at the school.

Hunyepa expressed regret at the minister's position on corporal punishment and said there would be a lot of lawlessness in schools because of indiscipline.

'She should have been more diplomatic about corporal punishment instead of saying any teacher taken to court by parents who are against corporal punishment would be on their own. Now we will see a situation whereby teachers will be observers in schools, not disciplining the students if they are misbehaving because they will be scared of losing their jobs or facing other consequences as she put it,' Hunyepa pointed out.  He asserted that the best thing the minister could have done as far as corporal punishment is concerned, was to deem it unlawful instead of leaving it as a recommendation of the Education Act and threatening teachers for administering it.

'There is now going to be too much lawlessness in school as students know that teachers will be scared to discipline them after all those threats by the minister.' he said.

He however recommended Venson-Moitoi for approving the secondment of BOSETU's secretary general to the offices, a fight they had been involved in for a long time without much success.