Indiscipline was the order in schools
Baboki Kayawe | Friday December 20, 2013 14:56
Learners, parents, teachers, the civil society, the community at large, leaders - both traditional and in the church – need to work towards maintaining peace and quiet in public schools.
This year was characterised by indiscipline, rowdiness and a general lack of peace in local schools. The last quarter especially deserves condemnation in the strongest terms possible.
The spate of indiscipline had even become an eyesore, which called for urgent and holistic redress. Education minister, Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi had to appeal to parents, and the general public to instil discipline among students in a national message aired on Btv. She bemoaned that government property was destroyed in such acts, which parents should assist in curbing.
A statement released by the Ministry of Education and Skills Development (MoESD) noted the disturbances in some secondary schools caused by undisciplined individuals within the student population.
As if that was not bad enough, the timing coincided with the period candidates were just about to sit for their final Standard 7, Form 3 and Form 5 examinations.
The communiqué from the education ministry called on parents and the community at large to help in advising students to remain focused in their academic work.
The satanic ritual acts reported in Maun Senior Secondary School for instance need to be washed away with 2013. Bagalatia Arone described the incident in which the head of a decapitated dog was placed in a classroom, as disturbing. He further stated that the incident was an indication of a rot in the management of schools.
“The education system has a vision to educate the nation, and we should ask ourselves why, instead of that happening, learners are engaging in social ills?” asked Arone, chairperson of the Parliamentary committee on education.
He questioned the pastoral care system, introduced in schools in 2003 to address disturbances at secondary level. The system is defined as “concerned with psycho-social, academic and co-curricular development of the learner” and it focuses on both the mental, physical, social, emotional and spiritual needs of the student. Even with that in place Arone doubted the commitment of guidance and counselling departments in schools.
The pastoral care system was introduced at a time when there were lots of disturbances in secondary schools. Students were reported to be involved in all sorts of misdemeanours. These ranged from mysterious fires and mass hysteria. Its policy aims to develop strategies for addressing these concerns. Topmost among them is the democratisation of secondary schools through mechanisms ensuring student involvement in school governance.
Education also needs to be taken to the class and lecture rooms as opposed to the courts. While government seemed stricter than ever when it comes to student protests, the year 2014 should usher in more consultation and dialogue whenever issues arise. The tertiary education sector had more days dedicated to ‘toitoing’ than learning as a result of differences between the financier, learners and institutions of education.
A number of learners had their sponsorships withdrawn (later challenged and won in the courts) after class boycotts. The strikes were spurred on by concerns over pricing of books and other learning material at campus bookstores. The authority also condemned student activism and learners were cautioned against over politicising issues.
The Botswana Education Hub should continue motivating outstanding students at all levels of education. Introduced four years ago, the hub’s Top Achievers Programme exists to strengthen resources.
So far a total of 139 students have been sent to universities in America, Australia, United Kingdom, South Africa and since last year, another category of students who obtained five A*s have been sponsored in local universities. Most of them are in their first or second year of study.
The scholarships for the fields of study include medical science and research, business and management, hospitality and tourism, mining and energy, agriculture and livestock management, veterinary science, conservation and environment, peace and justice, democracy, governance and economic management.
The initiative aims to motivate young people to excel in their studies, gain recognition, to learn at the best environments to realise their potential, and create a pool of exceptional leaders for the country over time. Exposing them to a rigorous curriculum focused on development, macroeconomics, political theory and social entrepreneurship is anticipated to further the growth of Botswana’s citizens for generations.