21 Jul 2016

Assistant Minister of Education and Skills Development (MoESD), Mr Fidelis Molao says cordial relationships between management and staff creates the necessary platform to address challenges.
Addressing teaching staff from Lobatse region, Mr Molao said shortage of funds was the main hindrance towards addressing all teaching sector challenges.
He said this was so despite the ministry getting the lion’s share in the national budget.
“As such, the ministry is not able to discharge its duties efficiently,” he said.
He noted that 55 to 60 per cent of the budget caters for employees’ salaries, and that the rest covers stationeries and other related resources needed in schools.
Mr Molao, who is also the  Member of Parliament for Shashe West, stated that the ministry was already operating with a deficit and has requested for supplementary funding.
He, therefore, said it was important for leaders to share the information with their fellow employees to better appreciate the situation.
On other issues, Mr Molao said the ministry’s performance was not satisfactory due to poor academic performance registered at all academic levels.
He noted that in 2015 the ministry was rated at position 15 against 16 ministries, and that the last quarter of 2016 they got position 12, which he said was a slight improvement and called for more concerted efforts for further improvement.
He also said they were faced with challenges such as overstaying of some teachers in one area.
“That alone affects the performance of teachers as some end up being reluctant to diligently carry-out their day to day duties,” he said.
Mr Molao said financial constraints faced by the ministry called on employees to further their studies for personal-development from own pockets, assuring them of reimbursement at a later stage.
In his welcome remarks, the regional director south, Mr Agronews Maseko said Lobatse region was lagging behind in terms of academic performance.
He said there was a significant drop of 90 per cent in academic performance compared to the year 2014/15.
However, he said they intend to reverse the status quo by working round the clock to improve their results through a number of interventions such as boot camps, parents and teachers’ coordination and many others.
He also said they were  challenged by increased substance abuse by students; both boys and girls. ENDS