He told the Botswana Civil Society Budget Analysis meeting here on Wednesday that unions cannot promise the nation that there will be peace and joy in schools if the lot of teachers do not change.Showa said the recent warning by the Minister of Education and Skills Development, Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi that she will dismiss teachers from work is misguided. "You do not threaten the other stakeholder. She must revisit her communication with teachers and if she persists with this, then it cannot work for the nation. Go sa buisana sentle ga go age," Showa said. The BOSETU representative said lack of consultation by the ministry is a recipe for disaster. He regretted that of the budget allocated to the Education Ministry, 70 percent is reserved for managing education and only 30 percent for implementation. He said this shows that something is wrong.
He stated that currently, the ministry only talks to teachers through the media and now teachers' representatives (unions) have resorted to responding through the media. Showa said the levels of operation was never agreed upon as the ministry said recently. He added that the scenario where primary school teachers are paid lower than their counterparts in secondary schools despite similar qualifications will never work. "We do not promise any joy in schools to the nation. We want a review of our education system and we want teachers to be treated like all public servants," he said.Showa appealed to BOCONGO, the organisers of the budget meeting to advocate for an educational oversight body in Parliament. The body should link Parliament with stakeholders on the ground so that the nation can have a say in the challenges engulfing the education system.
