Mmegi

The perils of Botswana’s welfare state

Helping hand: The country’s welfare programmes cover citizens from birth onwards. However, analysts believe there is scope to introduce more targeted assistance to the neediest
Helping hand: The country’s welfare programmes cover citizens from birth onwards. However, analysts believe there is scope to introduce more targeted assistance to the neediest

  To what extent are the numerous social welfare interventions restraining Botswana’s development prospects? And how practical is a ballooning welfare budget amid a fiscal crisis like none the country has seen? Will Botswana’s welfare statisim crumble like the Soviet Wall in 1991 or will it endure to great fortunes like the Nordic countries? TIMOTHY LEWANIKA enquires

Of the many fading values that served as the cornerstone of yesteryear Botswana, there is one that seems to be dissipating faster than most – the value of self-reliance.

Editor's Comment
A promising step for public schools, but...

For too long, the state of many public schools has been a source of shame. We have all seen the pictures and heard the stories of broken windows, unreliable water and electricity, topped by classrooms that are not fit for proper learning. The establishment of the Education Infrastructure and Management Company Ltd (EIMC) signals that authorities are finally ready to take this problem seriously. We must commend the government for this initiative....

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