01 Apr 2014

Parliament has rejected a motion by the MP for Okavango, Mr Bagalatia Arone that sought government to allow students who completed their Form five last year at Shakawe Senior Secondary School to repeat.

The motion that was debated at length was thrown out through a vote, of which 17 MPs voted against and 14 for the motion. The mover of the motion, Mr Arone had called the house to support him arguing that the students should be given a special dispensation to be allowed to repeat because of the hardships they went through during their studies.

Government’s position as announced by Minister of Education and Skills Development, Dr Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi was that students will only be allowed to rewrite this year’s examination.

MP Arone complained that studying through Botswana College of Distance and Open Learning (BOCODOL), as the ministry recommended, was not ideal because the students needed contact with teachers and not distance learning.

He also said other subjects required practicals, hence they could not be pursued through BOCODOL. Mr Arone said he was disappointed by the fact that he made time to consult the minister on the motion, while she preferred to make statement through government television, prior to making a statement in Parliament.

He said the minister should have consulted the parents first before making the decision. Prior to the debate of the motion that was deferred the previous week, the ministry had issued a statement in Parliament that stated that the students would enrol with BOCODOL.

The statement said that was meant to ensure students were given a second chance to improve their results during the 2014 BGCSE examinations.

Assistant minister, Mr Patrick Masimolole had noted that BOCODOL will provide materials and tutorial support to the students in the different subjects that are offered at BGCSE towards examination time around September this year.

Those who were in favour of the motion were of the views that failure rate was going to be high because it had shown with the previous results that the students were not afforded enough time to study at Maun Secondary where they were absorbed while Shakawe construction defects were attended to.

Francistown West MP, Dr Habaudi Hubona said Shakawe scenario was special in its own right, arguing that the solution of BOCODOL was inadequate.

She said according to some statutes provided by the United Nations, where a girl child was not educated, chances of them getting pregnant were high as well as HIV infection because of lack of education. She argued that such the students should be accorded the opportunity to repeat because they have gone through a crisis throughout their studies.

Tonota South MP, Mr Pono Moatlhodi said he wondered how the students will make it through BOCODOL while they failed to pass when they were taught under normal learning setting, adding that the institution does not offer other subjects.

“We need to go all out and provide special dispensation for these children,” he said.

Meanwhile Education minister Dr Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi remained adamant that BOCODOL was an open university and that she was confident it will deliver. Ends