Botswana has a new president, so does South Africa and Zimbabwe. All the three presidents of the region are from the ruling party. All the three’s ascendance to power has been met with supreme delight, hope, and characterized as a chance for national and party renewal. There is much expected from President Masisi. He is the youngest of the three and has unique challenges and opportunities that the other two presidents lack. Unlike the other two, President Masisi’s ascendance to power was extraordinarily peaceful. The Presidency was transferred to him by President Khama in accordance with the dictates of section 35(1) of the Botswana Constitution. In Zimbabwe and South Africa the two presidents were forced to resign by their respective parties with a threat of imminent impeachment hanging over their heads.
Masisi has a lot going for him. He is young and with much overall national goodwill towards him. Batswana in general, including many on the opposition side, love him. They want him to succeed. He is an outgoing and charming man who has a chance to achieve great things.
For the sake of national good, Masisi must succeed. There are many challenges ahead of him. First is the dismal state of public education. The situation is so bad that it appears that we are actually intentionally training students to fail. We are responsible for irreversibly destroying the lives of young people; condemning them to live on the margins of the society in the 21st century. We automatically promote failing students from one level to another without worrying about their critical competencies. While in the 1980s failing students were not allowed to move from standard 4 to standard 5, these days they march on confidently. While in the past failing standard 7 students were forced to repeat before proceeding to Form One, now such a hurdle has been removed. This means that junior secondary school teachers are expected to work miracles on students who shouldn’t be at junior secondary school in the first place. Even mobility of students from form 3 to form 4 involves the automatic promotion of undeserving students. We therefore even have students with Ds who make it into senior secondary schools. This desire to be inclusive is killing our education. Our national pass rate at BGCSE is between 30 and 40%. The best government school has registered 53% while schools like Seepapitso registers 18% pass rate. Classroom sizes are still large. There are still no sufficient books in the schools.
If we treated education as critical to the health of this country as medicine is to a human being, then we would deal with the education of our children much more seriously than we currently do. The first place to start would certainly be to ensure that the Ministry of Education is led by individuals with a transformative vision. For our education to be top notch it cannot be business as usual. Like Singapore we must ensure that our children are taught the finest curriculum by the finest teachers. We must recruit the finest minds into teaching. We must fire useless teachers and administrators; increase teachers’ salaries significantly and resource our schools with the finest materials. I know there is a need to partner with parents; however that as well depends on the school management and school targets. Sadly we have allowed the Botswana education system to be paralysed while the lives of children with great potential are destroyed annually by our lack of planning and organisation. Poor educational results have severe consequences to the future of Botswana. Our educational system churns out unemployable individuals whose capability to care for their families and relatives is diminished considerably. Such individuals later become a burden on the state because they won’t qualify for well-paid jobs.
When the education system fails, it generates individuals who will be unable to afford private health care and therefore are likely to die of preventable and curable diseases. When our educational system fails, it produces individuals whose rights will tomorrow be curtailed by their inability to afford private legal representation. When an education system fails, it engenders poverty, crime, unemployment, ignorance, violence and other unintended consequences. What will it take for us to sort out Botswana’s education system once and for all? Mr. President, the quality of our Education is one of your greatest challenges.
In the last 20 years we have seen a decline in the family structure in Botswana. Over 75% of our children are born outside wedlock. Divorce rates are high and stable marriages are few. We are raising a generation of steps and halves which we are poorly prepared for. More than 75% of our children and youth either have step parents or half-brothers and sisters. The family as we know it has collapsed. Mr President your mere walk in the park with the first lady and your daughter takes us back to the glorious days of Sir Seretse Khama and Sir Ketumile Masire. You are modelling for your nation and your leaders how a Botswana family should look like. For that I thank you and wish that you and the First Lady will give special focus to the family in Botswana ÔÇô for the sake of the children of Botswana.
Finally, the level of youth unemployment is worrisome. Young people are educated but unemployed. The central issue is not the quality of the education they have received. The problem is that Botswana is not industrialising and diversifying the economy fast enough. Simply put: There are no jobs.
Mr. President we cannot allow you to fail. Because your failure will be a national failure. You must succeed you are the right person for this season. You possesses the requisite mental fortitude to deal with what at different times has seemed like insurmountable challenges. Masisi must succeed for Botswana to succeed.
