26 Nov 2024

The newly established Ministry of Child Welfare and Basic Education on Monday brought together stakeholders to share ideas on how best to shape the ministry’s mandate.

Addressing the consultative forum in Gaborone, the minister, Dr Nono Kgafela-Mokoka said the forum was meant to explore ways of integrating child welfare and basic education into one ministry.

She said the forum would form the basis of the roadmap and priorities of the first 100 days in helping to structure the ministry and its mandate.

“To achieve its mandate, the ministry needs the input of all stakeholders engaged in child welfare and basic education.

I believe that your expertise, and experience will help shape the ministry and that all of us can own this new national project,” she said.

The Ministry, as per the Government Gazette is responsible for among others, providing leadership, overall policy direction, strategy and standard in education management and skills development.

Sharing her observation, the minister noted that one of the main components of the ministry; child welfare, had instead been subsumed under education.

“The component, in question, is in fact the cornerstone of the ministry, hence an integrated and human rights approach to child welfare and basic education is needed to clearly define the responsibilities of the ministry,” said the minister.

In her view, Dr Kgafela-Mokoka said the mandate of the newly established Ministry of Child Welfare and Basic Education was mainly to ensure a holistic development, safety and quality education of every child in the country and oversee policies and initiatives that advanced child welfare, both at home and in the school.

Minister Kgafela-Mokoka said what was of importance was to to safeguard children’s rights and improve access to basic education in line with Children’s Act of 2009 as well as the regional and international frameworks such as the United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of Child.

In her opening remarks, the ministry’s permanent secretary, Ms Bonolo Khumotaka said the Directorate of Public Service Management was currently developing the new ministries’ functional structures.

For that reason, she said the forum would help the ministry to review the structure, and gauge if it was aligned functionally and whether it would help the ministry deliver on the expectations.

Presenting on Child Welfare Conceptual Framework, University of Botswana’s Dr Morena Rankopo said education provided the intellectual and social foundation for children’s physical, emotional and social needs.

Therefore, to help prevent and respond to all forms of gender-based violence, child abuse, neglect, malnutrition and exploitation, Dr Rankopo said it was important that all child protection services were strengthened.

Furthermore, Dr Rankopo said there was need for the establishment of a multi-disciplinary child welfare department at all a levels of government, for effective coordination of child protection service providers. ENDS