THE MAIN ISSUES OF THE REVISED NATIONAL POLICY ON EDUCATION  

2.1       On the basis of the basis of the Commission’s report, Government has identified seven key issues that are vital to the future development of education in the country. These are;

i)                          Access and Equity  

According to the 1991 Census, about 17% of primary school age children (7-13 year age group) were not enrolled in formal education contrary to earlier projections of only 10%. A general analysis of a cohort of 1000 pupils enrolling in primary schools shows that, given the present rates of progression, 189 (18,9%) will reach senior secondary education, 35 (3,5%) will reach degree level education and 67 (6,7%) will have access to vocational training. This picture indicates a very low level of access. There is also lack of equity particularly at the primary education level. The 1991 Census shows that whilst the national average for primary school enrolment was 83%, there is a variation from as high as 95% in Orapa to as low as 66% in Ngamiland South and 65% in Kweneng West. There are similar imbalances in resource allocation, for example, in 1991 the shortage of trained teachers in primary schools varied from 5,4% in Gaborone to 41,9%in North-West District against a national average of 25,4%. Whilst in terms of enrolment there is no significant gender gap, in academic performance particularly in Mathematics and Science at both the Junior Certificate (JC) and Cambridge Overseas School Certificate (COSC) “O” Level, boys tend to perform better than girls. Finally, available statistics show that children with disabilities do not have equal access to the education system.  

ii)                         Effective Preparation of Students For Life, Citizenship and World of Work

 The Government is adopting a dynamic philosophy of education that promotes economic development, political stability, cultural advancement, national unity and the overall quality of life. In pursuit of these goals, education must offer individuals a life-long opportunity to develop themselves and to make their country competitive internationally. Ultimately, the aim of education must be to prepare individuals for life. Thus one of the central goals of the curriculum must be adequate preparation for the world of work. This is an issue that the present educational system is grappling with and one that the terms of reference of the Commission emphasised. A strategy of pre-vocational preparation within the general education system and a curriculum that is oriented to the world of work will be emphasized.  

iii)                       Development of Training Responsive and Relevant To Needs of Economic Development  

A key task of the Commission was to advice on a post-school vocational and technical training system to cater for Junior Certificate leavers in particular, although also for the COSC “O” Level leavers. In the past decade rapid economic growth and the resulting changes in the structure of the economy have resulted in shortages of skilled personnel. However, the education system was not structured to respond to this demand. In addition to responding to the needs of the economy, the development of an expanded technical and vocational training system will further increase access to education for school leavers.  

iv)                       Improvement and Maintenance of Quality of the Education System.  

As a result of the adoption of the National Policy on Education in 1977, educational development has been characterised by a massive expansion of school places. For example between 1979 and 1991 enrolments in primary schools rose by 91%, in secondary schools by 342% and at the University of Botswana by 315%. However, although not by design, the success in quantitative development of the school system has not been adequately marched by qualitative improvements. Levels of academic achievement are a cause for concern. Research Studies undertaken for the Commission reveal that academic achievement of Standard 7 completers is declining. At the Junior Certificate level the pass rate for form 2 declined from 85,3% in 1988 to 80,1% in 1991 and for Cambridge from 79,3% to 69,9% in the same period. Government recognises that most massive and rapid educational expansion programmes such as ours are often characterised by declining quality due to lack of all the necessary resources to adequately sustain the system. It is realised that the system has thus operated under enormous strain, which has not allowed a higher level of learning achievement to be maintained. Quality assurance measures will be a major priority in the overall development and provision of education.  

v)                        Enhancement of the performance and Status of the Teaching Profession  

The success of any education system depends largely on teachers. They are the catalyst of the learning process and on them mainly rests the whole system. They are therefore crucial in the strategy to achieve a more effective and responsive education system. Statistics indicate that in 1991 there were 9 704 primary school teachers, 2 202 junior secondary school teachers and 1 231 senior secondary teachers, making a total of 13 362. This is a substantial resource, in terms of numbers, compared to the rest of civil service. Secondly, salaries for teachers in1993/4 represent 45% of the Ministry of Education’s recurrent budget making this resource also relatively expensive and one therefore, that needs effective utilization and management to achieve efficiency and cost-effectiveness in the education system. The Commission has cited evidence received from both the teachers and the general public confirming that the teaching profession is characterised by low morale and declining professional status. Even though teachers salaries compare favourably with other public officers of comparable qualifications, teachers have not received many of the benefits available to public servants due either to administrative problems or communication lapses. For example, teachers eligibility for housing has often not been treated on equal basis with that of other officers serving under similar circumstances. This has been particularly so in the case of primary school teachers who are seconded to local authorities and especially those posted for service in the rural areas. Enhancing the professional status may therefore raise the morale of the teacher and will go a long way to improve the educational system.  

vi)                       Effective Management of the Education System    

The increase in the number in the number and spread of educational institutions in the country, especially at the primary and secondary levels, presently poses problems of effective administration in view of the centralised nature of the management structure. The situation is further compounded by the joint responsibility for management of primary education between the Ministries of Education and Local Government, Lands and Housing. There is evidence to suggest that the current structure of management creates problems of communication with teachers in the field. The Ministry of Education Organization and Methods Review exercise of 1992 addressed some of these problems. However, in order to achieve efficiency in the running of educational institutions the administrative structures need to be reviewed and improved. Secondly, the participation by the community in the development and management of education is important for the purposes of democratisation, quality assurance and relevance. It also reduces dependence on Government and promotes a spirit of self-reliance. Despite problems experienced in community participation, the Government concurs with the Commission’s belief that such participation is not only important but also necessary as it has potential for generating substantial financial and management resources needed for effective educational development and administration.  

vii)                     Cost-Effective/Cost Sharing in the Financing of Education  

The share of the national budget allocated to education is substantial. In the 1992/93 financial year 22,6% of the recurrent budget and 8,7% of the development budget was allocated to the Ministry Education. New measures that the Commission recommended are likely to have additional financial implications. There is need therefore to adopt a cost-effective approach to educational expenditure which should include strategies to improve both internal and external efficiency of education and contain the level of unit costs. In order to achieve greater external efficiency there is need for increased emphasis on the relevance of the school to the needs of the society and the economy through the concept of pre-vocational preparation as well as expansion of the training programmes. Internal efficiency could be achieved through a more optimal use of educational resources, for example, use of school facilities in the evening. Government shares the Commission’s view of the need for cost sharing as a means of diversifying sources of educational finance, which requires individuals, communities and employers to contribute more towards the cost of education and training.