16 Feb 2020

Over the past five years, including 2019, Botswana Examination Council (BEC) spent P21.2 million on hiring marking venues to cover marking, moderation and standardisation exercises. 

Assistant Minister of Basic Education, Ms Nnaniki Makwinja said P2.8 million was spent on Primary School Leaving Examinations (PSLE), P8.3million on Junior Certificate Examinations (JCE) and P10 million on Botswana General Certificate Examinations (BGCSE) for marking. Ms Makwinja said the larger expenditure for BGCSE was due to the larger number of subjects on offer at the level. 

She said in 2016 BEC started using public schools as marking venues.

“This required repair works to be undertaken before the facilities were ready for use which made the arrangement costly.” Ms Makwinja explained that marking in public schools was possible for JCE and BGCSE because they took place during school vacation. 

She said in 2019 Botswana College of Engineering and Technology was added to the list of public institutions used for examinations. She highlighted that BEC would continue to assess and engage public facilities to further reduce the cost of marking. 

In the long-term, she said BEC would introduce e-marking that would not require marking venues. 

“Markers will require internet connectivity and access to computer hardware to mark and would not have to assemble in one place. The business case for this has been developed for BEC consideration,” she added. 

Meanwhile, the review of markers remuneration was currently ongoing and any subsequent recommendations would be implemented during the 2021 financial year, she said. 

MP Onneetse Ramogapi of Palapye had asked the assistant minister to state how much the ministry had spent on hiring facilities for marking PSLE, JCE and BGCSE for the past five years including 2019. 

He also wanted to know why the ministry could not use public facilities such as senior secondary schools, universities or public service colleges. The assistant minister was also to provide a long-term solution of marking centres. Ends