02 Mar 2025

The 2024 BGCSE results released on Friday have shown no improvement in performance of students

Addressing the media in Gaborone on Friday, Minister of Child Welfare and Basic Education, Ms Nono Kgafela-Mokoka said 36 917 candidates sat for the examination compared to 36 562 in 2023 noting an increase of 0.97 percent in 2024. The number included 22 199 female and 14 718 male candidates.

According to Botswana Examinations Council Board chairperson, Dr Olefile Molwane,grades at C or better were 31.35 percent compared to 32.30 per cent in 2023 indicating a slight decline.

He also said candidates that scored 36 points and above were 3521 while 22 candidates from 10 centres demonstrated outstanding performance achieving six A*s in at least eight of the syllabuses a candidate might had taken. Dr Molwane said for the past four years there was gradual improvement across the grades in the government centers.

Minister Kgafela-Mokoka however said it was time to reflect on what the outcome meant in improving the quality of education in Botswana. She said the ministry was committed to bringing some strategies that would chart the way forward in ensuring that the quality of education was improved in its entirety.

She said they would also advance the ideals of an education system that would see them championing the key priority areas advanced as pronounced by President Advocate Duma Boko.

Ms Kgafela-Mokoka said the ideals included reorienting education and shifting into skills of the future through the introduction of STEAM education from early child education and primary school level to promote critical thinking, problem solving and innovation skills.

Thus,  she said they would be building a foundation for education with production also integrating technology and moving towards the fourth industrial revolution. The Minister said enhancing the quality of instruction and teaching in learning process was crucial at every level of learning and teaching experience.

She said the introspection should take into account other indicators of performance such as conditions of infrastructure and availability of resources in schools. Ms Kgafela-Mokoka further said the welfare of students as well as that of educators was an important indicator while the competencies of teachers was the responsibility of BOTEPCO.

The minister said the voice of the learners on how instruction was delivered was also crucial. She said the 2024 examination was administered relatively well despite a few incidents of malpractice where administrative penalties would be applied.

The minister said the results represented the capabilities of the candidates adding that grading was preceded by conventional marking and e-marking presenting a shift in mindset and a move towards integrating e-assessment within examinations.

She further said grades were on a scale of A* to G where A* represented the highest level of performance while G represented the lowest. The Minister said candidates failing to reach the minimum requirement for grading were ungraded G thus assigned U while those who failed to satisfy grading in a syllabus were assigned. ENDS