09 Feb 2014

The declining pass rates at primary and junior secondary schools have irked Members of Parliament who are now calling for an overhaul in the education system.

Debating the 2014/15 national budget proposals, MPs said they were disturbed by the declining results and something urgent needed to be done at the Ministry of Education and Skills Development.

The MPs,  Messrs Phillip Khwae of Kgalagadi North and Liekat Kablay of Letlhakeng East as well as Maj. Gen. Moeng Pheto of Kweneng East said the status of results called for investigations in order to address the core of the problems as they varied between vacant teaching posts, syllabus and the standard of classrooms.

MP Pheto said he was especially concerned because this year’s JC results did not have any merits while the number of students who obtained grade A declined from more than 500 to around 300.

“Our education is embarrassing and a major cause of concern”, he said adding that the number of students are now facing a bleak future.

The Kweneng East legislator said since the ministry had been given a lion’s share of the budget, there was hope that things would improve but instead the opposite had happened. 

He said another area of concern was the condition of some schools such as Remote Area Dwellers (RADs) hostels at Shadishadi Primary School.

The hostel’s ablution facilities were only constructed three years ago but needed maintenance forcing students to walk out in the middle of the night to facilities outside the building.

MP Pheto said it was therefore prudent for the education and skills development ministry to attend to these and other issues so that problems are addressed.

For his part, MP Kablay said he has multifaceted problems in his constituency as it is now home to the most uneducated population hard hit by poverty hence the area has become a hub for maids and herdsmen.

For his part, MP Khwae called upon the government to address issues of shortage of accommodation for teachers and work towards filling vacant teaching posts.  ENDS