We should perhaps state it upfront that we believe there is space and indeed role for private institutions in Botswana’s education system.
If well run, in fact private tertiary institutions could augment and indeed provide education that compares if not that is better than that provided by the state.
But having said that, it is important to point out that what we have today which passes for private colleges and universities in this country falls far short of what some of us ever had in mind.
What many of the private tertiary institutions are doing is to take advantage of the hunger and appetite among our young people whose education is state financed to literally embezzle public money.
The quality of education provided by some of the private colleges and universities in Botswana is appalling.
There are no investments in key areas that are integral to college life.
These include laboratories, libraries, research and development.
There is also a new phenomenon that is growing at an alarming rate.
A good number of these private institutions are known benefactors of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party.
These colleges have cleverly identified a few key but very corrupt politicians inside cabinet with whom they have established these counterproductive and evil links.
Money from Government in sponsorship ultimately ends up in the pockets of these politicians.
The long term cost of this relationship is big.
First and foremost the relationship devalues our education system since it compromises the much needed checks and balances.
Colleges and their owners are able to get away without being subjected to the necessary processes of evaluation to determine if their schools meet the mark for them to continue receiving students and government money.
Because these colleges are aware that they have paid some kind of protection fees, there is no incentive, much less pressure on them to invest in quality education by way of employing qualified lecturers foe example or investing in such critical areas like building and stuffing labs and libraries.
But they nonetheless have a guaranteed flow of students who are paid for by the state.
It does not matter to these institutions or to their political clients what quality of products they are churning out.
This kills the value of our education system.
Yet another long term cost is the negative impacts that this political patronage has is on public institutions like the University of Botswana and indeed to other state owned colleges like teacher training colleges and health sciences colleges.
In fact already some of these colleges have closed down.
The situation, if not addressed will take us down the drain.
Our education system is already in trouble without the kind of this new contamination that threatens to take us to new lows.
We are likely to see a significant drop in enrollments at the University of Botswana which does not of course pay politicians the kind of bribes that are paid by some private institutions in return for receiving students and with those a fat cheque from Government.
The relationship between politics and education as amplified by the umbilical cord of corruption that links owners of colleges to ministers should be cut.
Some of the private colleges are charging exorbitant fees that are not only uncompetitive but also unrelated to the quality of education that they provide.
