Botswana

I was fascinated when I read this simply because it's happening half way around the world and they have some of the same problems we have. We have laundered our problems, and for the most part, it's rare for our families to know who lives in wealth and who lives in poverty. That's one of the reasons we don't allow toys to be brought to school.

Kids are, however, influenced by plenty and want. Children who live in want are usually the ones who have lesser vocabularies, experiences, and imagination. Imagination is created from leisure time, and leisure time is a product of plenty.

Does that mean a child who is poor will have no imagination? No. But many children who come from poverty need to be taught to put away the immediate and enjoy what the world has to offer.

This imagination is what all educators all over the world understand is part of the preschool education plan. In addition to numbers and letters, stories and games are an important part of the preschool education plan simply because a child needs to understand what can be "done" with numbers and letters and stories and games. These elements of learning introduce a child to world challenges and world possibilities one step at a time. Capture a child's mind with a love of nearly anything and you will have a thinker the rest of his life.

A child in Botswana is just as likely to be the next great world leader as someone from New York City. And is there really a difference between a child who grows up shaking off poverty in an African nation from a child who grows up shaking off poverty in an American city?


Dailynewsonline
MPs Call for Education on Schools Fees 12 December, 2005

PARLIAMENT - Parliamentarians have called for a rigorous campaign to educate stakeholders on the re-introduction of school fees next year.

Legislators expressed their concerns before adopting the education chapter of the draft mid-term review National Development Plan (NDP) 9.

Molepolole North MP Gaotlhaetse Matlhabaphiri complained that despite a few days before January, the means assessment tests have not been done.

He said some parents were confused, as they did not know whether or not they would be required to pay.

There are so many conflicting signals given to the parents because some school heads have already formally informed all parents to be ready to pay when schools re-open, he said.
Matlhabaphiri added that even the logistics of paying were unclear, thus exacerbating the situation.

This undesirable scenario must be taken care of before it worsens, he said. Isaac Mabiletsa of Kgatleng East argued that school fees would only stigmatise those who can not afford to pay because they would be classified as paupers who depend on government bursaries.

However, Pelonomi Venson of Serowe South contended that stigma would not be an issue because all of us here have experienced poverty at childhood but we were never stigmatised.

Venson, who is the minister of communications, science and te chnology, advised that at least the threshold of P500 could be the issue for consideration rather than dismissing the measure.
By asking citizens pay part of school fees, government wanted to discourage the dependency syndrome, Venson said.

Venson called on the Botswana Training Authority to monitor business entities that masquerade as tertiary institutions to rid the country of fly-by-night schools.

We do not know the motive behind owners of these schools which label themselves as colleges, institutions, academies and so on, she said.

Probably that is one reason why some of our children do not get employed because employers doubt certificates from these schools.

Akanyang Magama of Gaborone South said the guiding principle to proper learning should be education intertwined with production since that would enhance self-employment and relevance to the job market demands.

He lambasted government for lack of commitment to pre-school education.

Pre-school education should be integrated into the schools curriculum because, among others, it reduces the deep rooted differences in class backgrounds of children at early education, he said.
Magama also pleaded that management of primary schools should be moved from the Ministry of Local Government to that of education.

He said due to the current situation, a huge disparity existed between primary and secondary schools in terms of both human and material resources.

He called for adoption of a unique salary structure for specialised cadres such as teaching as a way to boost morale and enhance effectiveness.

He urged Nkate to issue a statement on rumours that the University of Botswanas Faculty of Engineering and Technology would be transferred to the proposed university of science and technology.

Ponatshego Kedikilwe of Mmadinare said teacher transfers should be done more often because failure to do that led to redundancy, monotony and, consequently, ineffectiveness.

He echoed Magamas sentiments that early childhood education should be given the attention it deserved.

Kedikilwe suggested that the public-private-partnership mechanism could be invoked to kick-start the programme, giving priority to rural areas.

On cost recovery, Kedikilwe advised that the prescribed threshold of P500 should be raised to at least P1 000 so people earning around P500 do not get overburdened.

Tonota South MP Pono Moatlhodi was concerned that the double shift programme would encourage loitering and lawlessness among students attending afternoon classes.

I do not subscribe to that move at all, he said. If it means going outside the country to source funds to construct more schools please do so, because after all we have a good record as borrowers. BOPA