21 Jun 2023

Fronting has become a common occurrence in preschool businesses in Gaborone and it hampers economic empowerment of Batswana.

Speaking during a seminar on the licensing of Early Childhood care and Education Centres (ECCE) as well as child welfare institutions in Gaborone, Tuesday, Gaborone City Council (GCC) Town Clerk Mr Lopang Pule said the practice had become institutionalised and was self-defeating to locals as foreigners were becoming greatest beneficiaries.

He said child welfare institutions business sector was wholly reserved for Botswana citizens as an economic empowerment effort. Mr Lopang said they had since discovered that there were many foreigners operating the business with Batswana at the back seat.

“We are closely watching those who are fronting and soon we will pounce on them,” he said.

He said Batswana needed to embrace the early childhood business to be empowered and create employment for fellow countrymen. He said the sub-sector had the potential to grow.

Presenting on the ECCE operations, Principal Home Economics Officer I Ms Dimpho Macheng criticised parents who enrolled their children in unlicensed schools.

Ms Macheng said parents should be concerned about the places they left their children at and advised that the operating license should be displayed on a prominent place for all to see that the centre was legal. She explained that the day care centre licence was valid for one calendar year, and that a license issued under those standards was not transferable since it was issued in respect of a specific operator, facility and location. 

If there were changes, she said , a new license would be required.

She encouraged parents to ensure that they took their children to schools that operated within  the framework of regulations that protected children’s welfare, safety and education standard.

For his part Gaborone City Council, Deputy Mayor Mr Oduetse Tautona said GCC through the Department of Social and Community Development was mandated to ensure registration, licensing of ECCEs in the district. Mr Tautona said GCC annually experienced centres that neglected their responsibility of registering despite efforts by the council to sensitise them to comply.

He said currently there were 137 registered early childhood centres and as at June 2023 only 101 or 74 per cent had been licensed for the 2023 operations.

He further said there were also five known child welfare institutions around the city.

He implored schools to register and urged parents and guardians to not send their children to unregistered schools.

“On the other hand we receive a high number of various child welfare cases of child abuse that we address without fail” he said.

The workshop was meant to engage stakeholders, enforcement institutions to help educate operators of early childhood centres, nursery, preschools and child welfare institutions on the importance of compliance. Ends