11 Aug 2022

The education sector has been  called to conduct a post  COVID-19 introspection so as to identify and implement best strategies to soar the education sector to higher levels.

Speaking at a transformation consultative education summit 2022 in Kanye on Monday, Southern region’s education director Mr Acronews Maseko said even though a lot had been achieved on education, it was important, to come up with the best education system to serve the international market.

He said that the education system in the country had transformed; with increased pre-school classes for children at a tender age.

He said 38 schools in the Southern District had pre-school classes and apart from only six who would meet the target in January.

In addition, he said all primary school teachers were now possessing a minimum Diploma.qualification with  most having attained teachers first degrees qualifications.

This, he said were some and part of  education transformation.

However, Mr Maseko cautioned of the need to remove impediments in the education system to ensure the economy performs to its maximum out-put He workers’ ability to compete was handicapped by poor performance of education systems in most developing countries.

Therefore, he said it was paramount to transform and remove impediments in the sector so as to attain first class service delivery in the education system and supply the labour market  with the job ready workforce.

He underscored the need to bridge the digital divide in schools, arguing the move would help students learn from everywhere, and should be understood that with digital gadgets students can access the world around them.

He shared that Botswana’s education and training sector strategic plan (ETSSP) sets out priority programmes and interventions that would strengthen students’ acquisition of relevant knowledge and skills, adding ETSSP would make a key contribution to the achievement of overall education sector goals at different levels.

He said ETSSP pays great attention to inclusive and life-long learning goals and in doing so was aligned to international contexts and reflects long-standing commitments to education for all and sustainable development goals (SDGs).

He shared that multiple pathways were in place at schools which was a variety of structured academic opportunities for learners to achieve their goals for high school graduation and post- secondary success.

“Each pathway is defined by its programming and is accessed by each student based on the individual student’s academic interest and unique needs,” he noted.

Department of Special Support Services’ principal education officer Mr Piwani Maunge said the summit was meant to come up with the best strategies on how the country’s education system can transform with a view of coming up with the best standards that can make students or products of the education system globally competitive.

He said the education system should produce critical thinkers, adding it was devised to improve the literacy rate in the country.

He said education was a vehicle for social change and economic development as well as promoting peace. ENDS