Accusations resurface

BABOKI KAYAWE
Staff Writer | Monday October 17, 2011 00:00

The teachers, who do not want to be named, have levelled accusations at the school's senior management team that is made up of the head teacher and heads. They say they have been subjected to victimisation because instead of the common practise of rotating invigilators, recruitment for this year's invigilation was done secretly.

'We approached the head teacher a week before examinations commenced, but he told us that he didn't know anything because he had just arrived from school,' says one teacher. However, the teachers say the head teacher, Mmoloki Mosomong, returned to duty in May. 'We are frustrated because 'loyalty' is being used to punish those who boycotted invigilation last year,' the teacher says. The head teacher declined to comment. 'We are not allowed to talk to the media,' he said tersely.

The teachers say they fear they will also be overlooked for promotion and other benefits, a concern shared by the Botswana Teachers' Union (BTU). Its publicity secretary, Tidimalo Maeletso, says unfair selection of invigilators goes on inspite of the fact that teachers' unions have 'ironed things out' with the Ministry of Education (MoE).

However, Maelatso says other than 'the Mokibe issue, we are not aware of any glitches in the PSLE and Form 5 examinations'. Contacted for comment, MoE's principal public relations officer, Nomsa Zuze, said one incident should not becloud the situation at 745 primary schools and that she would need to establish the facts first in order to make a competent comment.