06 Dec 2020

A decision has been taken to construct 12 primary schools in seven districts through the Economic Recovery and Transformation Plan (ERTP) during the last part of NDP 11.

Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Sethabelo Modukanele, who was responding to a question in Parliament, said under the backlog eradication programme, his ministry, through councils, planned to construct 411 classrooms, 428 teachers’ houses and 1 316 toilets countrywide.

“In terms of progress so far, 383 classrooms, 394 teachers’ houses and 406 toilets have been completed and the rest are at various stages.

So far 28 classroom blocks, 34 teachers’ houses and 22 toilet blocks are not complete,” he said.

He further explained that due to budgetary constraints, there had not been any construction of new primary schools during National Development Plan (NDP) 11, District Development Plan (DDP) 8 and Urban Development Plan (UDP) 4.

The only two primary schools that were constructed during that period at Kazungula and Mmopane were funded by donors.

Mr Modukanele said there were 755 primary schools in the country and in a case of a need for additional facilities, his ministry continuously constructed classrooms, teachers houses and toilet blocks through backlog eradication program to match increases in learner enrolment as per the Revised National Policy on Education (RNPE) of 1994.

In an endeavour to comply with COVID-19 protocols, Mr Modukanele said 246 water closet ablution blocks were constructed at 148 primary schools countrywide.

He said his office was aware that photocopiers and furniture were inadequate in schools in Kanye North and the entire country.

However, he said the situation of photocopiers in Kanye North had improved.

Currently, he said eight out of the 13 primary schools in the constituency had photocopying machines.

Mr Modukanele said due to budgetary constraints, it had not been possible to provide enough photocopiers and furniture in all primary schools, including those in Kanye North.

Concerning textbooks, Mr Modukanele said he was not aware that some pupils in Kanye North primary schools had gone without textbooks for three years.

He said he was aware of the shortage of textbooks at primary schools across the country.

“I am not aware that teachers are using photocopied textbooks to facilitate learning,” he said.

He said in 2019 and 2020 respectively, the Ministry of Basic Education had distributed 15 765 and 2 184 core textbooks to 13 primary schools in the Kanye North constituency.

He said the shortage of textbooks remained at 45 per cent, adding that to address the shortage of books across the country, the Ministry of Basic Education had reprioritised its budget to increase textbooks in schools.

Mr Modukanele was responding to a question from Kanye North MP, Mr Thapelo Letsholo, who wanted to be appraised on the status of infrastructure at primary schools.

He had also asked the minister if he was aware that some pupils at Kanye North primary schools had gone without textbooks for three years and that teachers were using photocopied textbooks to facilitate learning.

Furthermore, Mr Letsholo asked about the extent of the shortage of textbooks in schools in Botswana and in particular, Kanye North and the ministry’s plan to address inadequate photocopiers and furniture at primary schools. Ends