25 Jun 2019

Basic Education minister, Mr Bagalatia Arone has told the ongoing Ntlo ya Dikgosi sitting that the ministry was challenged in implementing the teachers’ transfer policy.

Despite that, he indicated that noticeable strides had been made in transferring teachers around the country, and that efforts would continue to be made where positions were available to transfer teachers who had overstayed.

Minister Arone, who was answering a question by Kgosi Peter Chika of Chobe Region on Monday, explained that from April last year to May this year, 1 928 teachers had been transferred across the country, 122 of whom were overstays.

The minister pointed out also that the ministry was committed to keeping couples together, but that there were instances where teachers had to move away from spouses when they had to take up promotions in other parts of the country.

“In instances where there are no vacant positions in close proximity to spouses, rather than stall progression of officers, eligible officers are appointed to available positions,” he indicated.
Mr Arone added that from April 2018 to May this year, 136 teachers had been transferred closer to their spouses.

Kgosi Chika had asked why the teachers’ transfer policy was not being implemented accordingly.

Meanwhile, the Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Ms Botlogile Tshireletso told dikgosi that the ministry would, due to financial constraints, not be able to maintain all staff houses in the Chobe District.

Ms Tshireletso said efforts had however been made during the 2017/18 and 2018/19 financial years, where the Chobe District Council embarked on major maintenance at Satau, Mabele and Kavimba Primary Schools.

She said the ministry would continue, funds permitting, to embark on routine maintenance of staff houses and other facilities at primary schools in the district.

Kgosi Chika had asked the minister to state when staff houses in the district would be maintained as they were in a state of disrepair.

On the issue of consumer protection, the Assistant Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Mr Karabo Gare confirmed to the house that the Department of Trade and Consumer Affairs was still operational and was mandated by the Consumer Protection Act to protect the interest of consumers by means of investigation, prohibition and control of unfair business practices.

Mr Gare however highlighted that the Revised National Policy on Incomes, Employment, Prices and Profits stipulated by product prices should not be regulated by government except where evidence of monopolistic tendencies existed or where government had granted a monopoly.

The rationale, he noted, was to encourage competition among traders, adding that experience had shown that price control inadvertently resulted in parallelism, where the seller could set maximum prices thereby eliminating competition.

He said the ministry had therefore since moved away from the use of trading margins as Botswana was a free market economy with less regulation to price control so as to allow for market forces to determine prices.

Specially Elected member,  Kgosi Isaac Titus had asked whether the Department of Consumer Affairs was still operational, and if not what plans were in place to regulate the prices of goods in businesses operating in rural areas, where prices of goods were too high. ENDS