15 Nov 2017

Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr Kagiso Molatlhegi says refugee children at Dukwi Refugee Camp are currently being offered free basic education both at primary and secondary level.

Speaking on behalf of the Minister of Defence, Justice and Security, Mr Shaw Kgathi at a judicial conference on refugee law and refugee management in Botswana, Mr Molatlhegi said there was a day care centre and a primary school at the camp where the same curriculum offered to Botswana primary school learners was offered to refugee children.

He explained that secondary schooling was also offered to refuge children at Dukwi Junior Secondary School and Nata secondary or any school in Botswana, where they were eligible to study.

Mr Molatlhegi, who is also the Member of Parliament for Gaborone South constituency, added that vocational education was also offered in partnership with non-governmental organisation resident at the camp.

He said the primary school at Dukwi was a group two category with an enrolment of at least 600 learners adding that currently there were 377 refugee children enrolled in primary schools and 151 at secondary level.

He said refugees were also enrolled in brigades at Tutume, Mosetse, and Gweta, while others were enrolled at the University of Botswana. With respect to access to healthcare services, Mr Molatlhegi explained that it should be appreciated that government also provides free health care to all refugees. “There is a clinic with a maternity ward, two nurses and a 24 hour resident doctor offering health services including Anti-Retroviral therapy,” he said.

He said if there was a need for specialists medical treatment, referrals were made to Nyangabgwe Referrals in Francistown adding that the clinic also had two ambulances to expedite medical attention and patient referrals. Unlike Batswana, no medical fees wre paid to access these health care services.

Mr Molatlhegi told delegates that government implements programmes to provide refugees and asylum seekers with services and support. These include psycho-social support where refugees were offered counselling services and assisted in tracing and reunification with other family members saying this had enabled spouses, siblings and unaccompanied minors to reunite with family members.

He said there was also a police station at the camp for enhanced safety and security to people granted asylum. He added that the Botswana Red Cross Society also had offices within the camp for immediate assistance such as assessment for specialised interventions, tracing of family members and rationing of food items on monthly basis.

Recently, he said government had put in place a new management system, for refugees that included issuance of new bio-metric identity cards that had enhanced security feature to ensure that the people who were granted asylum were the only ones who benefit from refugee services.

Permanent secretary in the Ministry of Defence, Justice and Security, Ms Segakweng Tsiane explained that the ministry gives priority to the training of judicial officers. She said of recent, the ministry organised a judicial conference for judges and other presiding officers in Kasane on anti-human trafficking saying the ministry was planning for another conference on counter-terrorism.

Lecturing on the topic, Refugee Protection in Botswana, deputy permanent secretary in the ministry, Ms Dimpho Mogami said the amendment to the Refugee (Recognition and Control) Act was on-going. On other issues, Ms Mogami said there were several challenges regarding refugees not only in Botswana but across the globe. BOPA