17 Feb 2019

 Member of Parliament for Okavango, Mr Bagalatia Arone has commended government for allocating the largest share of the ministerial recurrent budget to the Ministry of Basic Education.

In his contribution to the 2019/2020 budget proposal debate, Mr Arone, who is also Minister of Basic Education, stated that the move was a clear testimony of government’s commitment in investing in early childhood learning.

 Education, he said, was one of the fundamental factors of development hence no country could achieve sustainable economic development without substantial investment in human capital.He said government acknowledged the crucial role that education played in securing economic and social progress and improving income distribution.

Mr Arone highlighted that there had been an improvement in the education sector over the years, adding that his ministry had identified lack of monitoring and evaluation as the major contributing factor to implementing some of the policies in place.

 “One of the major challenges that hinders positive results in schools has to do with leadership hence the ministry will be focusing on empowering leaders at schools and regions on how best to be results orientated, and ensure that there is monitoring and evaluation of education process in the strive to improve pupils results,” he said.

He noted that the ministry was in the past not adhering to the recommended pupil-teacher ratio as well as capacitating teachers.

He said the proposed P8.24 billion allocated to his ministry would assist in the ongoing investment on human capital development and the provision of all the necessary tools that enhance the learning process.

Mr Arone further indicated that government was working on ways to produce market ready graduates, as efforts were made to restructure the curriculum and make it at par with current economic needs.

He said graduates should not be pigeonholed by their degree certificates, but should be able to walk confidently into a number of careers and contribute to the country’s economic growth.

Mr Arone pleaded with the private sector to introduce bridging courses that would further capacitate graduates and empower them with the necessary skills to fit in the job market.

For his part, MP for Nata-Gweta, Mr Polson Majaga stated that government should as a way of creating sustainable jobs for locals, support locally manufactured goods and cut down on the high importation bill. He also pleaded with government to introduce toll-gates along the Nata-Kazungula road, which would be used to fund road maintenance since the road experienced high cargo truck density which affected the road’s lifespan. ENDS