04 Jun 2013

Government will not discriminate against any tribe regardless of their culture.

The Minister of Education and Skills Development,  Dr Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi said this when responding to complaints raised by Baherero and Ovambaderu during a recent kgotla meeting in Sehithwa. They had complained that government undermined their culture and did not treat them like other tribes.

Minister Venson-Moitoisaid government treated all tribes equally and also respeced their cultures. The government, she said, also listened to the people’s concerns and sought solutions to their problems. 

The residents had also complained that a Standard 7 Social Studies book talked about some practices that could encourage the spread HIV. They lamented that book stated that the two tribes had a practice called Otusira. The system reportedly encouraged that when a member of a family died, he/she must be replaced with a new born baby during the night vigil service before the burial.

Dr Venson-Moitoi admitted that it was a mistake for the book to be used in schools and assured the gathering that the book would be banned. She applauded the concerned parties for presenting their complaints and thanked them for accepting her apology. “I am here to testify that we take the blame and we will be cautious when we do things in future”, she said.

Kgosi Manuel Nguvauva of Ovambaderu tribe thanked the minister for listening to their complaint and coming up with ways to address them. He said the contents of the book were misleading and undermining their culture. “It was an insult to the two tribes because there was no truth in what the authors wrote and we wonder where they got the information”, he said.

Kgosi Nguvauva said they raised the concern in 2007 and then education minister stopped the book's usage, but they were surprised to learn in February this year that some primary schools such as Kubung and Semboyo were still using the book.

He said there was a delegation that approached the director of education in Maun who invited the publisher of the books to a meeting where chief executive officer of the  publishing company apologised. He also advised the publisher and director of education to organise a kgotla meeting to apologise to the people.

Kgosi Nguvauva said Baherero and Ovambaderu were peace loving tribes thus why they had accepted the government’s apology. He however emphasised the need for government to ban the book. ENDS