The Minister of Education and Skills Development, Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi, has said she will not be resigning following a barrage of public criticism that she has once again mishandled her ministerial portfolio.
Calls for Venson-Moitoi’s resignation come in the wake of her decision to close all government owned schools as a way of stemming the rising revolt by students.
She has also taken the flak for the examination saga that plagued her ministry last year.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Venson-Moitoi said if she felt she was not up to the big challenges that her ministry faces, she would have long offered her resignation to President Ian Khama.
She said in the meantime she will leave it to President Ian Khama to make the final judgment.
“I will not be resigning. Unless the President thinks otherwise, I still believe I have what it takes to turn around this ministry.”
She said although the education ministry was no doubt one of the most difficult in Government, the situation was not irredeemable.
She said the education system in Botswana needs parents to also come to the party so that they too can start appreciating how central they are to the education of their children.
Venson-Moitoi also took a swipe at Batswana who generally never want to appreciate attempts by their own to serve others.
“I am in politics not because I have to make money. In fact, I know where to go if I needed to make money,” she said.
Venson-Moitoi said before people called on her to resign as a result of the unfolding events, they should look at her track-record which she says speaks for itself.
“I was able to transform the Ministry of Communication, Information and Technology. To do that it took me a full five years. I have only been in the Ministry of Education for 18 months,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Leader of Opposition, Botsalo Ntuane, has said what has happened with Government closing down all public schools was clearly unprecedented.
“What we are witnessing is clearly unprecedented in our country. The fact that all public schools have been closed is an admission by Government that they have lost control of the situation. We had the exam crisis, now we have the current situation. We blame Government for engineering this situation, which amounts to a national crisis. The government has completely mishandled this strike with its hardline attitude. They will pay a heavy political price,” said Ntuane.
