BOTSWANA GAZETTE NEWSPAPER 11 MARCH 2014 COMPLETE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE EDUCATION SYSTEM UNDER THE UDC In Botswana there is a greater division between the goals of the education system and the goals of producing democratically active citizens. The school is an extension of the home environment, organized to encourage specific intellectual and social goals. If children are treated differently at home and school then improvement of the results would be a nightmare. For any nation to be seen to be having a relevant and quality education its education should be seen to be addressing the principles of democracy in a more direct and robust way. It is true that learners should be given freedom to learn how to learn in order to be responsible for their education. I am primarily concerned with the democratic ideal and its realization in every sphere of life. All learning comes from experience; if learners do not have experience or their environment is not well prepared then learning cannot take place. Socratic methods of teaching should be discouraged and student centered teaching strategies be emphasized. The background of some children may predispose them to school failure because the children have not been prepared to understand or made comfortable in the classroom. Botswana children from poor families start falling behind even before their first day at school because government does not have early childhood development programs to give a head start. Given the opportunity one must concentrate on establishing early childhood programs. Early childhood education and in preprimary school, and participation in other learning and school readiness activities help children to develop and to perform well when they enter primary school. If we see this as a solution why do we wait for other people to come and impose on us what should be done when we have the solution .It calls for early childhood and should be free. School failure has caused a lot of concern for the affected children, teachers, and parents; surely the self-imposed student mother must be concerned. School failure affects not only the students, parents are affected and the community itself could have its share as a result of frustration created by the failure. It is true that the public is concerned about the results declining because they have a vital role to play in the education system. If they are not involved when making the curriculum then who is to blame because maybe we are teaching learners what they are not interested in or what we teach learners is totally different from what they learn at home. If we look at the structure of our schools students talent and potential could not be realized. It is also very important to move from archaic school system structure to a modern one. In one-dimensional classrooms all students are engaged in similar academic tasks most of the time, social comparisons appear common and the concept of ability is also narrowed compared to a multidimensional classroom. It is evident enough that multidimensional class structure allows different kinds of ability to be seen or observed which is not the case in Botswana thereby leading to poor performance or results declining. The teacher should not be the main source of social control in the school. Education is a process for improving the human condition. Schools are specialized environments within the larger social environment. Ideally, curriculum was based on a child’s experience and interests and prepared the child for life’s affairs. The subject matter was interdisciplinary. In Botswana learners are not enjoying the power of open, free and meaningful learning. It is through the provision of open education resources that could help learners acquire new information and communications technologies. This could make it possible to provide large quantities of free, multimedia content that are highly effective for acquiring basic knowledge and skills. Our classroom and schools work in isolation with little knowledge about what is going on next door. Almost no data concerning student or teacher responses to the educational resources they use are available to the creators of those resources. Provision of network is extraordinarily valuable both for identifying the strengths and weaknesses of learning resources and improving them. This would enable even the most remote community to receive up to date information that is relevant to their needs. Curriculum should be in a way to be addressing the learners need. Traditionally education would imposition from the side of the teacher and reception and absorption from the side of the public, something which the famous writer John Dewey once wrote ‘may be compared to inscribing records upon a passive phonographic disc to result in giving back what has been inscribed when the proper button is pressed in recitation or examination’. It is very important for the ministry of Education and Skills Development to strengthen and intensify the war for improvement. There is nothing new that would be put in place rather to intensify and strengthen the already existing strategies. The social pragmatism is what is true is that which works for a society (not for an individual) through the promotion of the public good. If whatever the learners achieve is of no good to the public then that is when the public’s eyebrows raise. If the public is not happy then it is free to choose its own way of thinking and create whatever reality they want to embrace. Given the responsibility of improving the quality and standards of education one must consider the following: National Education Inspectorate- This is an independent body accountable to the minister, responsible for inspection of schools and regional operations and providing education and high quality advice for decision making by the ministry, cabinet and parliament. This brings us back to the consensus of the collective society. Therefore each individual must do his duty by adapting to the ever changing views of the group. The curriculum and Assessment Agency- This agency will provide strategic curriculum leadership, ensuring relationship between curriculum and assessment and reviewing and updating the national curriculum framework. They will commission research and set out curriculum and assessment guidance. The Botswana Tertiary Council- The refurbishing of the council will raise the status and profile of the teaching profession and ensure the provision of professional leadership for teachers. It will be responsible for maintaining and enhancing professional standards, regulating, registering and licensing teaching professionals. It will provide strategic direction and advice or training; teacher supply and distribution, quality assure teacher education and review and oversee conditions of service for teachers. Improvements in school management based on the planned changes to the governance arrangements at the school, local and national levels will provide the basis for increasing the use of data and evidence in policy and decision making and institutionalizing performance planning, target setting and evaluation. The role of the principal education officers throughout the education regions will be transformed to focus more on performance monitoring, the provision of expert support to schools and overall challenging schools to high levels of performance. Directors are an integral part of the ministry and are created to transfer some of the ministry to a more local level as a means of enhancing operational efficiency. Decisions will be made closer to the point of service delivery supported by a strong accountability framework. Placing more decision making authority at the local level will lead to higher levels of motivation among school staff and learners, increased community involvement and significant improvements in standards and quality of performance. The ministry needs to be restructured to focus into a policy focused ministry and the regionalization of its operations, placing responsibility for management of educational institutions at the level of school leaders and managers and providing the management systems to hold them accountable for learners achievement. Building community participation and ownership of schools to influence positive behavioral changes and stimulate a higher level of involvement like Adopt a school. Teacher development and management- Expansion of the education, introduction of the new subjects has increased demands for appropriately qualified teacher. Therefore, there is need to upgrade teachers skills so that they can effectively deliver the curriculum as well as to boost their moral in order to reduce teacher turnover. To ensure adequate supply of human resource graduates from tertiary institutions should be competent with relevant and diversified skills and enhanced innovation and creativity. In conclusion teachers and learners must work together to make learning a contribution to their community. Learners should be given opportunities to make meaningful decisions about the curriculum. Learners should be empowered to create and fulfill their own learning goals. …….BOTSWANA WA RONA Kabelo Masvingo Mhuriro Former BACSRC Minister BMD CARD CARRYING MEMBER UB-UDC PUBLICITY SECRETARY BBM: 22548423 Whatsapp: 71429632 Contact: +267 71429632 Email: mhuriro.kabelo@yahoo
Posted on: Thu, 13 Mar 2014 16:59:28 +0000
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