22 Aug 2018

Permanent secretary in the Ministry of  Basic Education, Dr Collie Monkge has urged teachers to strive to produce good results.

He said this at a meeting he held with regional heads of Tsabong region on Agust 20.

Dr Monkge expressed concern that almost all of the schools country wide were not producing good results, saying that as educators they should change the status quo.

He pointed out that as teachers they account for a considerable percentage of student’s pass rate, adding that they should desist from giving such excuses as ‘students were raw’ because it was up to them to make sure that they pass.

Dr Monkge said by constantly producing poor results, they were in a way destroying the economy of the country.

He said that it was only through education that the fight against poverty could be won, hence the need for good educators. 

Further, he said teachers needed to change their strategies, especially when desired results were not forth coming, advising them to divert and desist from making students write notes while they have text books.

However, he acknowledged that there was a serious challenge when it comes to transfers as people always declined to be transferred on various reasons.

On lack of accommodation, he promised that the ministry would continue to engage with Botswana Housing Corporation to make sure that where possible they bought the houses or rented them out.

There were also issues of unpaid overtime and other allowances worth over P2 million and the PS said they were working round the clock to rectify the situation.

He also pointed out that he was irked by the snail’s pace at which temporary teachers were absorbed into the system, urging them to make sure that before the end of the year they normalise the situation. ENDS