01 Jul 2021

Maun East Member of Parliament  Mr Goretetse Kekgonegile has challenged Botswana Teachers Union (BTU) to help improve appalling school results in the region.

Mr Kekgonegile, who was speaking at a BTU consultative meeting said the region was doing exceptionally well in sports, but the reverse was true when it came to academic performance.

He said to lead by example his office had identified completing pupils in various schools to whom it provided tutorials.  

So far the initiative had been extended to  97 per cent of school in the region. He called on BTU to complement the initiative. 

Mr Kekgonegile underscored the importance of  stakeholder involvemnet  adding the education sector needed strong partnerships that could promote constructive and sustainable upbringing of children.

He expressed concern at the  high number of child-headed families resulting from the fact parents worked for safari   companies in the Okavango Delta and whose jobs kept them away from home. 

He called on BTU to work with him to help the parents to appreciate the importance of investing time and other resources in their children’s education. 

BTU Maun regional organiser, Mr Innocent Puso said in response that one of the reasons for failure in schools in the area was  due to the fact the education sector remained stuck in chalk and board learning when the times dictated otherwise. 

he said to improve performance in schools it was necessary to  mordenise learning by equipping  classrooms with projectors, Wi-Fi as well as availing corresponding hardware to students and teachers.

 Mr Puso acknowledged the Government’s effort in providing computers to enhance effective learning and teaching in schools, but stressed the need to completely move away from the use of chalk and board and to adopt digital systems, as is the case at tertiary institutions. 

He said this was particularly important  as the Government led the country towards a knowledge-based economy.

Mr Puso said digitalising learning would address the needs of the the modern learner who wanted to be taught in a manner that stimulated learning and at the same time ameliorate serious shortage of textbooks in schools. Some teachers, he said, lost valuable time tying to find ways by which  learners could access information.

Mr Puso also noted that most learners had lost interest in reading, because there were no novels or practice books, as was the case in the past. 

Modernising teaching would both be fulfilling to learners and techers alike especially as learners would be encouraged to study on their own, he said.. 

He also called for collaboration with other stakeholders to address issues of concern in education. 

BTU Regional organiser (Pre- Schools), Mr Onosi Ramakoba said there was need to have preschool teachers specialise to avoid career stagnation. Ends