17 Feb 2015

Parliament, on February 13, adopted Mogoditshane MP, Mr Sedirwa Kgoroba’s motion in which he wanted automatic promotion in schools abolished.

The motion, which was refined by Assistant Minister of Education, Dr Unity Dow, was adopted with amendments.

Dr Dow suggested that the motion should rather call for “government to implement Recommendation 23 of the Revised National Policy on Education which abolished automatic promotion and replaced it with assessed promotion.”

Backing up the slight changes to the motion, Dr Dow said the Revised National Policy on Education which was commissioned 21 years ago to address what the mover of the motion, Mr Kgoroba was calling for was in existence but was poorly implemented on account of resource constraints. 

Dr Dow said the assessed promotion in schools, which ensured that learners pass into the next level of education having passed the preceding basic level(s), was a part of the recommendations in the report but was not implemented for the reason that there was pressure in schools because classrooms were not enough for those who had failed and had to repeat their classes and there were not enough teachers.

She said for recommendation number 23 of the report to be realised, there was a price tag to it because the ministry had to pull more resources to effect it including issues of securing land for the class rooms and called for Ministry of Lands and Housing and other players to come on board for the recommendation to see light of the day.

Validating her position Dr Dow suggested that it was fitting to pull more resources towards education given its bearing on the production of quality human capital. 

She called for legislators to do thorough retrospection and think of what government can waiver for the next two years in order to develop the education system, “What is it that we are willing to forgo in the next two years in order to invest in education by implementing this policy?” throwing MPs food for thought. 

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi supported the motion adding that the recent plight of poor results in schools could be attributed to lack of implementation of the said policy which required more resources. 

She called for vigilant implementation of the policy adding that basic education offered a critical foundation necessary to shape the kind of person the system wanted to produce, “Go failure mo go kana-kana go dirwa ke gore motheo waabo o sa nna sentle, re tshwanetse re bofe gone ko motheong, fa bana ba sa apeega sentle ba sa butswa sentle, go nna le mathata ko pele,” she said.

Vouching his support for the motion Gabane-Mmankgodi MP, Maj. Gen. Pius Mokgware said basic education defined the kind of mold of a Motswana whose output may be seen 15 years down the line and therefore education must be treated with the best of resources. He suggested that if there were not enough teachers some could be pulled from Colleges of Education.

Okavango MP Mr Bagalatia Arone supported the motion but critiqued Parliament for taking too long to implement the policy, “We have spent money to produce this report, how do we now sleep on it?” he asked. He suggested that rather than to implement recommendation 23 of the Revised National Policy on Education only as suggested by Dr Dow, the whole document must be implemented to circumvent Parliament from dealing with issues at piecemeal approach.

 He suggested that in order to implement the policy resources could be drawn from some areas such as Defense Justice and Security as well as the Directorate of Intelligence and Security Services (DISS), reasoning that, “the best form of security is to educate your people” .

Mahalapye West MP Joseph Molefe shared Mr Arone’s sentiments calling for Parliament to solicit finances to fast track implementation of the policy .Speaking from the same end, Shoshong MP Mr Phillip Makgalemele said, “This policy was never implemented, Parliament should have ensured it was implemented, Parliament committees should have provided oversight” .

He said Government Policy Implementation Coordinating Office which operates under Ministry of Presidential Affairs and Public Administration should foot responsibility and play its role in ensuring implementation gets underway.Responding to the support he got from legislators after the house adopted his amended motion, Mr Kgoroba thanked legislators for putting aside political lines to deal with real issues faced by Batswana in unity. ENDS