Let's open debate on financing social services :: Mmegi Online

I am of the opinion that Botswana needs open policy debates on the financing of social services. That the issue has now gravitated to the payment of school fees for secondary education implies that people hold very divergent views on "fees for service", be it in health, education, water or any other social service.

People bring up a cocktail of arguments for and against fees, centering on Human Rights and on Universal Access. However, all these are not straightforward issues; it does not always follow that charging a fee is an infringement of Human Rights, or that it impedes universal access. In the case of education, children as rights holders do not have to only expect these rights from the State, but should also expect them from the parents.

It is the responsibility of every parent to ensure that his/her child gets education. Designing a system for financing health care, or financing education, needs to take into account various factors that include affordability, physical access, the right to access and many others. That is why although many Governments around the world do charge fees for various social services; they usually put in place mechanisms of exemption, so that those unable to pay are not denied access.

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