17 Dec 2020

The Ministry of Basic Education has made strides in the decentralisation of education services to the regions.

Assistant minister, Ms Nnaniki Makwinja told Parliament that in 2010, 10 regional offices were established at the leadership of Director Level of E1 scale.

She further said her ministry had an establishment of 7 827 for non-teaching personnel, saying of those, 6 678 had been deployed to regions, sub-regions and schools to support decentralised functions and ensure effective and efficient provision of quality service.

She indicated that functions and services that had been decentralised included authority to appoint, transfer, train, deploy, promote and discipline offices except for dismissal of C

Band and below as per Public Service Management Directive.

She also said 66 of the 79 financial votes had been decentralised to regions, adding that regions consolidated planning as well as procurement of goods and services for their areas.

Other duties include bursarial services for finance and minor maintenance of facilities.

Ms Makwinja also noted that the allocation of resources to regions was done based on the number of schools, remoteness and vastness of the region, hence resources could not be equal and standardised.

She further highlighted that directors at regions recommended officers from D4 to D1 to the ministry headquarters for deployment, training and transfers, depending on competencies and performance.

She said deserving officers were presented to the appointing board for promotion at headquarters and indicated that such positions were advertised.

She further said currently DPSM was reviewing recruitment guidelines to curb unfair labour practices and standardise appointments and promotions board processes.

“Decentralisation is a process which is implemented gradually depending in capacity and availability of resources,” she said.

Gaborone Bonnington South MP Mr Christian Greeff had wanted to know when decentralisation of education services to regions would be done.

He also asked as to when regional directors would be given full authority and powers equivalent to council secretaries to expeditiously deliver services to the people at their respective regions without relying on the authority from headquarters.  ENDS