13 Nov 2024

The creation of Ministry of Child Welfare and Basic Education can be a sustainable vehicle for changing the course of the country’s development in the immediate, medium and long term. 

Childline Botswana’s Communications Officer, Ms Gaone Chepete welcomed the creation of the ministry saying coordination of child welfare issues had been a major challenge as they were spread across different ministries, which compromised the state’s ability to create a conducive environment for optimal development of children into competitive human capital. 

“We view this move as a positive start towards adequate investment in the wellbeing of our children, which should ordinarily lead to a human capital fit for the country’s development aspirations,” she said in an interview. 

Ms Chepete said for a long time, the system continuously failed children in a number of ways such as delay in resolution of cases of violation of children’s rights. 

Also, she said, there were challenges of limitation of alternative care programmes for children in need. 

Ms Chepete said there were also limited avenues for detection and resolution of child rights violation as well as a disconnection between entities tasked with providing an environment for the wellbeing of children.

“Public education results are horrible, in the process thousands of children could not make it in the education system,” she said, adding that such left them vulnerable. 

Further, she said anecdotal evidence established a link between the high incidence of crime and children that could not do well in education.  

Ms Chepete said some thousands of young people who could not be located in any employment, education, or training programmes resorted to crime, sex work and substance abuse. 

As such, she said it was their expectation that the Ministry of Child Welfare and Basic Education would put the child protection agenda at the forefront of Botswana’s development. 

She said human rights approach to development started with protection and promotion of children’s rights.

Ms Chepete said adequate investment in children’s health, nutrition, good quality education and a nurturing environment for children to grow up in were the cornerstones and catalysts for development.

“So this is not only a human rights imperative but a developmental one as well,” she said.

However, she said the ministry should be properly structured with clearly defined strategic focus, clearly defined outputs and outcomes in order to deliver. 

Ms Chepete said the ministry fashion and design would be key to determining its effectiveness. 

The Ministry of Child Welfare and Basic Education according to a Government Gazette covers early childhood care and development, early childhood development services and licensing, as well as primary, secondary and out-of-school education among others. Ends