There is currently no curriculum for fourth and fifth year students at the University of Botswana's (UB) School of Medicine, the Assistant Minister of Education, Patrick Masimolole, has admitted in Parliament. Masimolole was responding to a question tabled by the MP for Gaborone Central, Dumelang Saleshando, who had wanted to know why the school had been operating without any curriculum for the past three years.
"The UB School of Medicine has a curriculum that was developed in consultation with the Botswana Health Professionals Council and international partners like Baylor College of Medicine, the University of Cape Town and Monash University in Australia," Masimolole said. "The curriculum was subsequently approved by the University Council. Currently, course outlines for fourth and fifth years are being developed in consultation with the University of Cape Town and should be ready by June 2012 in time for the first semester of 2012/13 academic year."Pressing on, Saleshando - who is also the president of Botswana Congress Party (BCP) - pointed out that students at Botswana's only medical school were currently attached to non-teaching hospitals, among them Princess Marina Hospital.
