Owing to continued shortage of educational facilities and inadequate maintenance of infrastructure, Ministry of Child Welfare and Basic Education is in liaison with the Ministry of Finance to approach the World Bank for funding. 

Presenting the ministry’s budget estimates on Tuesday for the next financial year, Minister Nono Kgafela-Mokoka, said the loan facility was targeted at funding the key ministry priorities that included rehabilitation of boarding facilities, expansion of junior and senior secondary schools as well as construction of reception classrooms. Regarding expansion of schools, Ms Kgafela-Mokoka said the ministry had eight projects of which six were implemented through the Development Manager (DM) model.

 Of the eight projects, she said, four had been completed at Goldmine, Selolwe, Moeti and Chamabona Junior Secondary Schools and the remaining four at Okavango, Shanganani, Nkange and Motswakhumo JSS would be completed during the 2026/2027 financial year. She said the ministry had successfully expanded capacity at Motswakhumo JSS in Lentsweletau through the completion of 10 prefabricated classrooms. 

Parliament also heard that government remained committed to revitalising educational infrastructure through a comprehensive programme of maintenance and expansion. 

In that regard, she said, the ministry was implementing six maintenance projects, all of which were anticipated to reach completion by the end of the 2025/2026 financial year. Regarding teachers’ accommodation, she said 20 housing units had successfully been completed at Orapa JSS and Popagano JSS at each school and that while the ministry had originally planned to construct an additional 72 staff houses, the projects were cancelled following strategic review of the DM model. The ministry’s budget allocations for 2026/27 total P12.9 billion of which P11.8 would be used towards recurrent budget while P1 billion was for development projects. The school feeding programme had been budgeted P561.9 million to cover the envisaged home-grown feeding programme, while P446.3 million would cover service charges at schools, most of which were water bills in secondary schools, mainly exacerbated by leakages, owing to aged infrastructure. 

The fourth largest share will go towards subversions and grants to parastatals and civil society organisations of the ministry at a cost of P331 million, while temporary teachers have a budget proposal of P212 million. 

“I am aware that government’s position is to create permanent positions for temporary teachers, however this needs collective efforts by entire government,” she said. Orphan and care programme had been budgeted P200.1 million to pay particular focus on children’s rights and welfare in order to address the challenges faced by children from diverse backgrounds.Under the development budget, over P1 billion is requested for the implementation of various development programmes strategically directed towards improving access, quality, inclusiveness, child welfare and the modernisation of education service delivery.

 A further P771 million is earmarked for school expansion, maintenance and the construction of staff houses, in order to address infrastructure gaps, reduce overcrowding and improve teacher accommodation. 

Funds amounting to P445 million have been proposed for secondary education programme to undertake essential repairs, renovations and infrastructure improvements across the country while P274 million has been allocated for expansion of various secondary schools in order to align infrastructure provision with student enrolment growth and evolving curriculum requirements. 

The amount of P32 million is requested for the construction of staff houses in Junior Secondary Schools across the country, as part of ongoing efforts to improve teacher accommodation, enhance deployment and promote retention, particularly in remote areas as well as P20 million allocated to Moeng College for the completion of the Alternative Pathways Project. 

Other allocations are for child welfare at P20 million, learner support at P16 million, and P10 million for refurbishment of curriculum building for office accommodation and P10 million for Botswana Examinations Council (BEC) transformation project that strengthens education across all levels of education. ENDS