17 Dec 2025

Opposition whip, Maun West MP, Mr Caterpillar Hikuama called for a detailed analysis that could analyse the PSLE results nationally, and the various regions and schools in order to develop the relevant interventions.
Mr Hikuama, who was responding Minister of Child Welfare and Basic Education, Ms Nono Kgafela-Mokoka statement in Parliament on Monday, expressed concern about schools in remote areas not performing well, citing Nxaraga Primary School on the outskirts of Maun which only managed a 12 per cent pass rate, which he said was extremely low and required the ministry to closely examine their conditions and offer the requisite solutions.
Giving a Ministerial Statement to Parliament on the PSLE provisional results on Monday, Ms Kgafela-Mokoka said a total of 52 771 candidates sat for the examinations without any disruptions at the centres countrywide.
She said through centre inspections, there had been enhanced monitoring to ensure adherence to standards and to guard against any loss of BEC qualification credibility. Only 52 cases of maladministration and two of malpractice were recorded and accordingly investigated, she added.
Ms Kgafela-Mokoka revealed that the proportion of learners attaining Grade A stands at 21.40, an improvement by 0.30 per cent compared to the previous year; and there was similar slight improvement in the number of learners earning grades B to D.
Also, 99. 90 per cent of learners achieved Grade E or better, the same as in the previous year, and only 13 learners received the unclassified mark U, compared to 39 in 2024.
Almost all candidates (99.90 per cent in Setswana and 98.75 per cent in English) met the minimum requirements of a grade in the core language subjects, the minister said.
“As in past years, candidates continue to perform better in the Comprehension and Language Use Dimension than in the Communication Dimension, although some improvements have been noted in the latter. The quality of work improved in both letter and composition writing,” said Ms Kgafela-Mokoka.
Similar meeting of minimum requirements by around 99 per cent of learners for other subjects such as Mathematics Science, Social Studies, Religious and Moral Education as well as Agriculture were recorded, the minister revealed.
She said the results, approved by the Botswana Examinations Council (BEC) board on Tuesday, December 9, continued to be a diagnostic test that provided feedback on the national education system, guiding schools and teachers on the needs of learners as they progressed to the next level of their education.
Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mmopane-Metsimotlhabe legislator, Ms Helen Manyeneng also responded to the minister’s speech and expressed concern of  some school heads of schools that performed well in examinations being transferred elsewhere, instead of being given the opportunity to build on the foundation they had laid.
For his part, Mogoditshane East legislator, Mr Letlhogonolo Barongwang, was concerned that Mogoditshane, recorded to have 88 000 people in the 2022 population census had only three primary schools which were thus burdened by serving a large jurisdiction.
He also expressed interest in the development of multiple pathways, stating that pupils who displayed an inclination towards the arts and vocational skills should be offered those subjects to ensure they also excelled.
Maun East MP, Mr Goretetse Kegonegile, said Setswana as a core subject increased the load on pupils in PSLE as well as Junior Certificate Examinations (JCE) and the Botswana General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE).
He also said sitting for as many as seven subjects in a short period should be reconsidered as it might lead to an increase in failure. Mr Kekgonegile said government should consider offering pupils living with disabilities a different grading system as they might be unable to compete on an equal footing with their able bodied counterparts.
Responding to legislators, Minister Kgafela-Mokoka said her ministry continuously received reports that analysed the examination and the education system adding that they kept probing measures to improve the PSLE syllabubs and examinations.
She said government was moving towards the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) subjects as a means towards the betterment of the education system.
Additionally, Ms Kgafela-Mokoka said the ministry was working on infusing vocational skills at all levels and to improving access, inclusivity and quality education for all. But she said students should not be shortchanged by a reduction in subjects, given that students in other countries comparatively sat for more subjects at a similar level. ENDS