03 Jun 2018

Government intends to introduce the Botswana Teaching Professional’s Council to strengthen management and enhance professionalism in the education sector.

Addressing teachers at the teachers’ day celebrations in Ghanzi June 1, President Mokgweetsi Masisi said the regulatory would be established through an Act of Parliament.

The envisaged teaching council, he said, would play an important role in overseeing the teaching profession and ensuring teachers’ ethical conduct.

He added that with the new body in place, compliant teachers would be licensed to teach, following approval of their credentials by Botswana Qualification Authority (BQA).

Again, he said both the teaching council and BQA would ensure quality of education delivery in schools supported by continuous staff development and regular school inspections.

“Government will ensure that schools are well maintained and that teaching and learning resources are availed to learners,” he said.

President Masisi said government would also continue to intensify and sharpen teacher training, re-working and retooling to build their capacity to adapt to ever-changing education environment, especially in areas of information, communication and technology.

He said the nation expected return on investment as government continued to substantially invest in education.

He further indicated that government recognised contribution that the private sector continued to make towards growth of education.

On mitigating staff shortages, President Masisi said as of April 1, government had created 1 754 new positions for teachers and was currently absorbing staff into those posts.

For his part, Minister of Basic Education, Mr Bagalatia Arone said that quality education could not be attained without improved conditions of service for teachers.

Thus, he promised to re-examine legislative frameworks, strategies and policies in the education system and align them in a way that would help them transform the country from a resource-based economy to knowledge-based economy.

Mr Arone, who is still touring the country to engage teachers and unions, promised that under his leadership, challenges engulfing the teaching profession would be dealt with.

He emphasised that human resource as well as infrastructural challenges facing his ministry needed urgent attention, thus stressing the need for government to decentralise its tendering processes.

He said the education system should allow students to take different pathways, depending on the capabilities.

Member of Parliament for Ghanzi North, Mr Noah Salakae thanked the President for his outstanding work in the past two months, saying his efforts had proved that Botswana could be a better nation.

However, he appealed to Minister Arone to grant autonomy to school principals to be in charge of maintenance budgets.

Meanwhile, 64 teachers received awards as recognition for their dedicated work to the teaching profession. ENDS