For some reason even the change of name to the Ministry of Education and Skills Development (MoESD) has not helped to change the bad reputation of the ministry.
The ministry seems to have perfected the art of messing up even the simplest of projects. This week, the ministry was in the news once again for the wrong reasons in matters that it could have handled better. Civil service promotions on Tuesday elicited sharp reactions from the Botswana Sectors of Educators Trade Union (BOSETU) which claimed that the ministry is top heavy with officials who add no value. While the delivery from Shandukani Hlabano of BOSETU could be dismissed as rantings from a corner that is always at war with the government and the ministry, the situation on the ground paints a different picture. In short, Hlabano asserted that the ministry is top-heavy while the public education sector is suffering because of staff shortages at the lower reaches. He stated that the salary of 10 ministry Fat Cats (regional directors) is enough to pay 70 teachers yet the big bosses add very little value to the sector.
