A compounding macroeconomic crisis in Botswana’s vital diamond mining sector has forced the Umbrella for Democratic Change government into a bitter political retreat, triggering a sudden reversal on its highly anticipated campaign promises of free public education. As financial constraints mount, the decision to retain secondary school fees has sparked an intensifying war of words over the state’s election-year promises and the stark reality of the nation’s public finances.
During its successful bid for power, the Umbrella for Democratic Change framed its manifesto, themed Inclusive Growth, Quality Lives, as an explicit, binding contract with the electorate. Central to this platform was a sweeping education and skills revolution, which committed the state to guaranteeing quality education as an unassailable human right. For thousands of cash-strapped households, this was widely understood as an explicit pledge to completely dismantle the cost-sharing school fees that have governed local public schools since 2006.
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