Ministry gripped by exams scandal

MONKAGEDI GAOTLHOBOGWE
Staff Writer | Tuesday October 5, 2010 00:00

 

All 28 senior secondary schools and over 200 junior secondary schools across the country are said to have refused to submit marks for practical subjects, also known as 'course work', which were due by September 29.  However the PS in the Ministry of Education, Ruth Maphorisa yesterday said it was too early to talk numbers as the deadline for the submission of the marks was only September 29, the day before the public holidays. Maphorisa said it was unfortunate that some people are rejoicing over this problem which threatens the lives of Batswana children.

'What I can tell you is that moderation( the verifying of marks by independent teachers) is ongoing as we speak.The September 29 deadline was set by myself as the PS. I wrote instructing the head-teachers that they should have submitted the marks for the course work to their regions by September 29. I am not in a position to talk about numbers right now as you know that today(Monday) we had to start the exams for the Standard 7s; it is only today that I will seek updates from the regions'. Maphorisa also said as the head of the ministry she has every right to demand to be given the students' marks because they belong to the students and not to the teachers. Mmegi understands that a last ditch effort by the Botswana Examinations Council (BEC) to hike the pay by 800 percent from P1 per student to P9 did not bear fruit as BOSETU successfully urged the teachers not to take the money until BOSETU approved it.

The marks are traditionally submitted by end of September, with theory examinations beginning in October. The practical exams are said to contribute 30 percent towards the final examinations. Now it is feared that both the BGCSE and the JC exams could see Botswana students registering the worst marks ever.

Yesterday BEC officials, as well as regional officials, were locked in day long meetings discussing the way forward.Elated BOSETU executive secretary, Justin Hunyepa, yesterday said they have information to the effect that all 28 secondary schools, which were due to submit marks for the practical subjects last week refused to cooperate with the BEC, despite the fact that BEC raised payment for the teachers by 800 percent, from P1 per script to P9 per script at the 11th hour in a bid to attract the teachers. Hunyepa says although seven of the 28 secondary schools tried to submit the course work, it all came to nothing when the BEC could not raise anyone to reconcile the marks. There are 237 CJSS across the country where affected practical subjects are physical education, design and technology, agriculture, home economics, art and business studies. In senior secondary schools, the practical subjects include the pure sciences, biology, chemistry, and physics, Agriculture, music, physical education, design and technology, art, development studies, and Business studies.

Meanwhile, BOSETU has contradicted Education Minister, Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi's Friday television statement saying she might have been misled by her staff.

Venson-Moitoi said that the examinations were handled successfully.

BOSETU secretary general, Kwenasebele Modukanele, says their research has revealed that in Francistown alone, four CJSS schools missed on the home economics practicals.

Modukanele says they were disturbed by reports that only Radikolo CJSS in Mochudi had failed to write the exams.

Modukanele named some of the schools yet to write the home economics exams in Francistown as Goldmine, Selolwe and Setlalekgosi, also condemning the manner in which the home economics exams were carried out this year.

According to Modukanele, students were required to clean the laboratories, do the setting, cut the meat and vegetables, while in actual fact the students were supposed to find everything ready,  prepared by their teachers.