In a country with very few deep readers, the government decided it would be an excellent idea to have citizens review a 63-page document (the constitution) whose comprehension requires deep-reading. The result is what was obvious from the get-go: a good many commentators at public consultative meetings that are currently being held across the country have clearly no idea what issues the constitution deals with. Among those topping the list is a speaker at a North West District meeting who proposed that those who live in wildlife management areas should be given legal permission to pay bride wealth in wild animals.
In altogether different category is recurring demand that similar permission should be allowed for polygyny and that Sections 77, 78 and 79 of the constitution should be scrapped because they recognise only eight tribes. These demands are based on incorrect information, which is odd because there are countless written sources that contain the right information. With regard to polygyny (marital custom in which a man takes more than wife), there is misconception that Botswana law forbids it. It doesn’t, never did but merely prescribes that polygyny can only happen under customary and not common law marriage. Interestingly, this same issue came up in parliament in the early 2000s, was explained by a minister and the explanation was published in newspapers. As regards Sections 77, 78 and 79, the original provisions that recognised only eight (not all) Tswana tribes, was repealed during the administration of President Festus Mogae.
In fairness to the speakers, there are those who know what the contents of the constitution are and have proposed review of provisions that are actually in it. One such proposal relates to academic qualifications for one to be a member of parliament (MP). The constitution is silent on this issue and the result has been that just about anyone who can mobilise resources to win elections, can get into parliament. As the consultative meetings show, there is a very strong feeling in most parts of Botswana that an MP should have at least a bachelor’s degree. Those advocating for degreed MPs say that such representatives would better understand complex issues, make meaningful contributions during debates and handle the official language (English) well.
The main problem with this proposal is the self-inflicted racism inherent within it. When Europeans first made contact with pre-colonial Botswana society, they immediately concluded that those living in it weren’t sophisticated in any way and had neither culture nor education. Resultantly, missionaries would later “introduce” education to indigenous communities. In their estimation, “indigenous education” was a contradiction in terms because Africans didn’t have education to begin with.
Racism functions as well as it does because those it dehumanises are the very same people who fully endorse the sociopathy it projects. On the basis of the latter, most African themselves don’t see indigenous knowledge as education. That explains why you hear a man who has never been to a western-style school but has extensive knowledge of botany, veterinary science, animal tracking and is even a super father and husband is not considered educated. The missionaries said (and Africans believe that) education can only ever be western, not African.
The reality though is that indigenous education is still a huge part of our lives, something that the government itself recognises. Officially though, this education is still not considered education and for that reason, nobody is clamouring for people with highly advanced indigenous knowledge to get into parliament. To be clear, western education enables one to navigate today’s world much better but Botswana has unresolved issues with it.
During the administration of President Festus Mogae, there emerged a species of educational establishment that some have called a fly-by-night university. Despite its name, the latter parades during ugliness in the day time. These universities, such as they are, are actually commercial enterprises that do business in the education sector. Their business model is a quite basic and predatory one: spend as little as possible and make as much profit as possible. A final-year student from one of these universities has told Sunday Standard that he wouldn’t be job-ready when he completed his studies and obtained his degree. While many more may not use the same language, they are in the same position. These graduates hold a piece of paper that misrepresents their abilities but there is a very strong feeling that they would qualify to become MPs because they hold academic qualifications from western culture.
One can’t deny the major strides that Botswana has made since independence in 1966. However, there can also be no denying that the country has also been besieged by an epidemic of poor decision-making. This epidemic has been steadily rising commensurate with the number of people obtaining degrees – degreed people are themselves the source of the epidemic. That notwithstanding, there is a very strong feeling that parliament needs more degreed people.
There is a uniquely Botswana job advert that says that “A Master’s degree will be an added advantage” and indeed some have used their master’s degrees to get jobs. In one too many cases, however, the added benefits of the Master’s degree don’t show in the output of those who were given preference on account of holding such academic qualifications. The ideal situation would be to have more high-performing problem-solvers but a good many Batswana feel that a degree is more important than an effective problem solver. That happens because Africans generally fetishise western academic qualifications over efficiency in their systems. In the particular case of parliament, some of the worst MPs that the Botswana parliament currently has and has had have advanced degrees.
On the whole, there is confusion about where the value of a university degree lies. Some assume that when one holds particular academic qualifications, then s/he is knowledgeable and intelligent. The fact of the matter though is that while there is an area of overlap between qualifications, knowledge and intelligence (which follow in that ascending order) each has an independent life.
One may have a degree and be clueless about a lot of things – including those for which s/he officially holds qualifications in. In the case of Botswana, it is not too difficult to understand why: where the system doesn’t fail students, students fail themselves. A University of Botswana lecturer says that some students complete their studies without ever having set foot in the library – which is one of the best in Africa. So, someone who holds a UB degree but never set a foot in the library qualifies to be an MP over somebody else who is deeply knowledgeable but doesn’t have a degree.
One may also have both academic qualifications and knowledge but lack the intelligence to synthesise that knowledge into a package of solutions to society’s problems. In terms of what is proposed at the consultative meetings on the constitution, someone who is knowledgeable and intelligent but doesn’t have a degree shouldn’t qualify to become MP.
Ultimately, the commentators are advocating for the creation of yet another avenue to indulge obsession for western culture. In no way are they providing viable solutions for how parliament can be made more efficient.
