03 Jun 2018

President Mokgweetsi Masisi says government is exploring several measures that are aimed at improving the conditions of service for teachers.

Officiating at teachers’ day celebration in Ghanzi on June 1, President Masisi said government attached great importance to matters pertaining to teachers conditions of service. “Whatever we do is aimed at attracting, retaining and motivating teachers.”

He appreciated that Botswana is where she is today because of the dedication and sacrifice of teachers.

Despite working under difficult and adverse conditions, he said, our fore bearers toiled day and night with limited resources to deliver quality education, which has over the years proven to be globally competitive.

“I stand before you today as a proud product of that generation, it is for this reason that we celebrate the achievements of our current crop of teachers, we pause and remember our past, our fallen heroes and heroines of the education sector, who have profoundly shaped the destiny of our beloved country,” said President Masisi.

He said there was urgent need to improve education sector for the county to attain competitive status, saying sustainability of the country’s  development was dependent on performance of educational sector, hence the need  to settle  matters pertaining to learners, parents and teachers.

He urged ministers and unions in the education sector to start discussing the pending issues.

President Masisi said that the theme of the day; You and I Can Deliver the Most Quality Education in Botswana,  was befitting since it challenged everyone to have an input towards quality education.

He said that there were capable and committed teachers who were willing to contribute positively to improve the quality of education so that the country could compete in the global market and fulfill the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation Sustainable Development goal 4.1 challenge that focuses on access and quality education by 2030.

“This challenge is to the effect that by 2030, all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to the relevant and effective learning outcomes,” he stated.

Further, the President said the implementation of the Education and Training Sector Strategic Plan (ETSSP) reforms would ensure that issues of quality, relevance and accountability across the entire education sector, from pre-primary to tertiary level were addressed.

He said the hopes and aspirations for a better future were pinned on the dynamism of teaching profession and implementation of ETSSP and explained that the ETSSP was aimed at identifying the unique capabilities of learners in order to channel them into areas where they could perform and reach their full potential.

He said it was the government desire to create an economic order in which the knowledge and skills of people could be deployed to harness maximum value from both intellectual and natural resources in a sustainable manner.

“It is for this reason that in my inauguration speech I committed to transformation of education and training through the Human Resource Development Strategy of 2009, which will receive all the necessary support required to ensure that education meets the needs of the industry,” he stated

He said in line with Vision 2036, investment in research, science, technology and innovation would be prioritised to enable transformation into knowledge based economy.

He said today’s learner must gain the aptitude to find information, to conceive new ideas, to make informed decisions, and manage resources, and to be able to communicate and collaborate, so as to become an asset to any organisation, as well as to be an innovator and founder of new enterprises.

“This is the purpose of our continued emphasis on education and training our pupils in preparation for knowledge based society and economy.”

He said to realise a brighter future for the country, collaboration with other stakeholders in education is paramount.

Vice secretary for BOSETU, Mr innocent Mannathoko said that to attain the national goal of using education for sustainable development and poverty alleviation, teachers should be empowered to be professionals of great moral probity.

He called for redirection of education system from the narrow, instrumentalist view of education as solely teaching students to become skilled employees, but said education should also promote cultural, democratic, social economic and environmental needs.

He said there was also a need to fast-track the introduction of mother language in the school curriculum to enhance culture.

For his part, vice chancellor of Botswana Open University, Dr Daniel Tau said he had discovered that teachers did not only teach science, but they also taught  the science of living.

Dr Tau believes that the teaching profession is not for the faint hearted and encouraged teachers to rejoice in their endeavour to invest in children. ENDS