Is Back-To-School initiative a political gimmick?

Upto 69,588 people have reportedly applied to go back to class in the government's Back-To-School drive. But is the initiative meant to provide a second chance to school drop-outs and others or a panacea to problems associated with idle youth and unemployment?

It is interesting for the government to be taking people back to school yet it is failing to create employment opportunities. Is it wise for the government to impart skills who will remain jobless after graduation? From the look of things, the youth and idlers will be removed from streets for a short term as the back-to-school runs only till 2015.

It is a fact that the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) is not popular with the youth. So whoever came up with the initiative may have thought of this. Of course, the 2014 general elections are around the corner. If Back-To-School is a great idea, why should it take off from 2013 to 2015?

Editor's Comment
Let’s put the fight against crime in action

But as the conference concludes, Batswana must ask: Will this be another talk shop, or will it spark real change? The answer lies in whether every stakeholder, from the President to community leaders, transforms rhetoric into action.The President rightly highlighted that crime, especially GBV, thrives in private spaces. His call to empower churches and counsellors as early warning systems is sensible. But good ideas mean little without funding...

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