19 Jun 2014

The commemoration of the Day of the African Child provides an opportunity for government, development partners and communities to renew their commitment towards the welfare of vulnerable groups, especially children. 

This was said by the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Peter Siele on Monday June 16.

He noted that some children still do not have access to education despite the fact that universal access to quality education was a global concern.

Mr Siele said the government has showed commitment to the well-being of Batswana by offering free education to children as formalised in the Children’s Act of 2009  which grants every child the right to free basic education. 

He noted that the law also makes it an offence for a parent, guardian or relative to deny a child the enjoyment of education.

He said vulnerable children were supported through social protection programmes so that they could continue to learn. He, however, said the main area of concern was the high rate of drop-outs, especially girls due to pregnancy. He said the government was aware of challenges such as inadequate facilities for children with special needs. He said they would continue to work with other stakeholders to address the challenges.

Mr Siele said parents should play their part in ensuring that their children study and were not abused, adding that the government was concerned about incidents of defilement and rape in the country.

He said education was a key to success for every child and that all stakeholders should motivate children to attend and complete their education for their own good and for the good of the country.

He also commended private educators and religious institutions, saying they played a critical role in safeguarding choice in education and complementing government efforts towards availability of quality education. The director of social protection, Ms Ruth Radibe noted that all children have the same rights.

She said the government chose to emphasis on the right to education to ensure that all children had access to quality education. This, she said, should also help the children to live peacefully, to protect the environment and to respect other people. She said the right goes hand in hand with the theme of the day. She added that her department was doing all it could to provide advocacy for children’s rights, child protection and orphan care.

She said a lot of children in Africa had access to good education unlike before when some, especially, females and vulnerable children were not allowed to attend school.

This year’s Day of the African Child was commemorated under the theme: A child friendly, quality, free and compulsory education for all children in Africa. The day was set aside by the African Union in remembrance of the 1976 Soweto uprising where students protested against the use of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in schools. ENDS