IMPROVING QUALITY EDUCATION IN BOTSWANA SCHOOLS: AN “ILLUSION” AND “ELUSIVE” PURSUIT

Abstract

This article critically examines Botswana’s attempt to improve the quality of education in public primary and secondary schools. Since 1966, numerous reforms have been instituted to produce graduates who are supposedly endowed with labour market skills and ready for absorption into the labour market or self-employment. To achieve this goal, large sums of money are ploughed into the education sub-sector every financial year yet the public as well as the private sector continue to decry the quality of education judging by the calibre of secondary school leavers produced. Data sources included official policy documents and reports which were analysed qualitatively to identify gaps and factors that contribute to failure in attaining quality education. The findings revealed poor synergy between past and current policies, inadequate human and material resources, lack of commitment and political will to implement policies, and inefficient monitoring and evaluation processes that do not adequately inform subsequent reforms. The article concludes that Botswana Qualifications Authority, Human Resource Development Council and Education Training Sector Strategic Plan provide a framework for rethinking quality education which has largely remained an “illusion” and “illusive” pursuit over the past five decades.
Keywords: Quality education, Botswana Qualifications Framework, Education policies, Globalisation, Neoliberal reforms