01 Jul 2024

The selfless dedication and sacrifices from teachers over the years has contributed significantly to the country’s  socio-economic development, President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi has said.

In a keynote address during the national commemoration of Teachers’ Day at The Big Valley Lodge near Lobatse on Friday, Dr Masisi commended organisers of the celebrations for focusing on mindset change, which formed priorities of government’s Reset and Reclaim Agenda aimed at propelling the country to a knowledge-based economy.

He said embracing mindset change would in turn weigh positively on the learning outcomes of learners.

“In a fundamental way, you hold the keys to our children and youth educational success through collaboration, teamwork, and critical reflection on your work or professional practice,” he said.

President Masisi said the theme of the event: Positive Teacher Mindset: Key to a 21st Century Learner, resonated well with government’s commitment to prepare and produce globally competitive graduates whose mastery of the subject-matter anchored on the possession of 21st century skills.

To produce globally competitive graduates, he said government had made reforms in the education sector over the years among them prioritising implementation of programmes focused on learner-centred teaching methodologies and a robust digitalisation drive meant to ensure a technology-driven learning approach.

Further, Dr Masisi noted that government had since developed an Education and Training Sector Strategic Plan (ETSSP) to facilitate the attainment of improved learning outcomes by addressing issues of access, equity, quality, relevance and accountability across the entire sector.

“The ETSSP is a System-level Sector Plan designed to comprehensively transform education from pre-primary to tertiary level, so as to transform Botswana from a resource-based to a knowledge and skill-based society. It is through this plan, implementable in successive five-year cycles, that the Ministry of Education and Skills Development is transforming to Outcome-Based Education in order to deliver 21st Century responsive learners,” he said.

He said since January 2021, government had pioneered the Outcome-Based Education across all Senior Secondary Schools, through the introduction of new pre-vocational subjects, namely, Hospitality and Tourism, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry, and Crop Production.

He said Vision 2036’s overarching goal of transforming into a knowledge-based and diversified economy as a vehicle of achieving prosperity for all, placed a key responsibility on the education sector and teachers as agents of the desired transformation outcomes.

“Teachers, therefore, have a critical role to play in ensuring that no child is denied equal opportunity with others to undergo quality educational experiences that impart unto them the relevant skills sets and knowledge needed for economic transformation and balanced social development. I personally have a lot of trust in you to deliver, and today’s ceremony bears testimony to the calibre of the profession in which we have placed this responsibility,” he said.

President Masisi said the national adult literacy rate figures of 1 403 423 or 88.7 per cent of the country’s adult population aged 15 years and above, was a significant milestone worth celebrating thanks to the teachers’ continued dedication and execution of their duties.

He, however, said more still needed to be done to address the low pass rates in some junior and senior secondary schools.

“A serious and urgent mindset change in this regard will be a welcome development, which will see our learners achieving at desirable higher levels,” he said.

The President acknowledged challenges faced by teachers and he assured them of government commitment to address such, so as to attract, retain and motivate teachers to serve with dedication everywhere across the country.

Dr Masisi also noted that the largest allocation of the recurrent budget for the 2024/2025 financial year to the ministry of education was government’s effort to drive transition of the country to a knowledge-based economy. 

The President reminded teachers and parents the need to instil discipline in children, noting that the issue of drugs in schools, in particular Methcathinone, commonly referred to as ‘Cat’, continued to be a serious cause for concern. 

“Parents and teachers have to rise to the challenge and ensure that children do not fall into the trap of drug addiction, which, if not nipped in the bud, will impact negatively on students’ academic performance, destroy our youth, and severely reverse Botswana’s development gains,” he said.

The President awarded a total of 200 medals to teachers. 

The medal categories included 21 Long and Distinguished Service Awards to teachers who have given over 30 years of quality service,.

The 29 Meritorious Service Awards were given to teachers who had shown excellence in service delivery throughout their career while 43 Silver Jubilee Awards was for teachers who served 25 years or more with excellent service. The 107 Mid-Career medals was for deserving teachers and lecturers who continued to give their best in the classroom.

Minister for Education and Skills Development Dr Douglas Letsholathebe said the awards honoured teachers for their dedication and passion in their work. 

He further said teachers played a critical role in motivation and guidance of learners in their education path. 

He said the ministry noted with appreciation the level of commitment teachers continued to show in their contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals. Ends