TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: A CRUCIAL REQUIREMENT FOR KNOWLEDGE-BASED ECONOMY IN BOTSWANA

Abstract

Botswana's national development goal commits to shift the country from a resource driven
economy to a highly diversified knowledge one. This shift is motivated by the rising demand of
the global knowledge economy. Thus, economic growth and development are knowledge driven
and human capital dependent. This article, which is part of a larger study on teacher professional
development and knowledge economy, is influenced by the Capital Theory of School
Effectiveness and Improvement. The purpose of this article is to critically analyse the Botswana's
Revised National Policy on Education (RNPE) of 1994 in view of the emerging demands and
dictates of the knowledge economy. The discussion addresses how this policy places education
and teacher professional development to produce the knowledge-based economy that this
country aspires for. The critical question in this discussion centres on teacher professional
development as a necessary strategy to drive knowledge- based education. It examines the
manner in which the country tries to achieve the knowledge-based economy through teacher
professional development. It compares Botswana’s appraoch with other approaches in the
international spaces where stories of success are identified as commendable. Two key issues
emerged from the study. The RNPE does not present a knowledge-based approach of teacher
professional development, nor a clear road map for preparing school leadership as knowledge-
based teacher professional developers. The discussion concludes that the education policy and its
deliberate focus on school leadership professional development need more attention if its
purpose is to serve as a key blueprint to transform Botswana into a knowledge-based economy.