14 Feb 2016

Assistant Minister of Education and Skills Development, Mr Fidelis Molao says over P8.3 million was spent on senior secondary schools boot camps last year.
Mr Molao said schools held boot camps at different dates from November 30 to December 20, 2016.

He said funds spent on the boot camps covered over P6.6m and P1.6m for food and teachers’ overtime and other resource persons respectively.
“The broad programme for the boot camps included self-awareness, emotional intelligence, spiritual and moral development, social values, life skills, health and wellness, entrepreneurship as well as sexual and reproductive health,” he said.

Mr Molao said participants were also involved in various activities such as construction of ramps for SEN learners at a kgotla, skinning a cow, donated money to children in hospitalities and organised beauty pageants .

“Various departments within and outside government were invited to the boot camps to help with the facilitation. The departments included among others the Ministry of Health, youth, sport and culture ministry and the community and village leadership,” he said.

He added that schools that took part had reported good behaviour, high levels of discipline and commitment by students.

“In some schools they were even wearing uniforms. However, few schools reported some incidents of indiscipline including petty theft and minor vandalism and students who misbehaved got reprimanded,” he said.
Furthermore, Mr Molao said generally, the mood in schools was excitingly positive and behavioural change was observed in some students.

He said boot camp attendance was recorded at 50 per cent given that 12 878 out of 25 632 school leavers attended. The low attendance, he explained, was a result of, among others, six schools of the 32 schools not having boot camp due to various reasons.

The assistant minister also told Parliament that the first four schools which included Gaborone, Kagiso, Ledumang and Matsha decided that the time was too short for them to organise while the last two, Mogoditshane and Naledi were identified by the Botswana Examinations Council (BEC) as the 2015 Examinations centers.

Also, he indicated that the total number who did not attend the boot camp stood at 12 754 with 4 863 thus 19 per cent of non-attending students from the non-participating school.

The Member of Parliament for Selebi-Phikwe West, Mr Dithapelo Keorapetse had asked the minister to give an update on, among others, when the boot camp for BGCSE leavers started, its costs, activities, number of participants, departments involved and those who did not participate and reasons. Ends