Mosenodi

Editorial

2023-12-01T09:03:44+00:00

CAREER INTERESTS AND INSTITUTIONAL PREFERENCES OF STUDENTS IN BOTSWANA SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS

2023-12-05T08:17:37+00:00

This paper surveys higher education career interests and institutional preferences of some senior secondary school students. It also discusses students’ views about the funding of their tertiary education. The research design is both quantitative and qualitative. A questionnaire that combines the two approaches was used to collect data from a representative sample of 101 students from 27 senior secondary schools in Botswana. The findings of the paper are in line with global trends. The career interests of students in Botswana, as elsewhere, cluster around few high-status courses, especially those in the health sciences, business, law, and engineering. Similarly, their institutional preferences are mainly public, government-owned schools that are well-resourced, reputable, and recognised internationally. Most of the students indicate that they require financial assistance to pursue their studies. However, while financial aid is available to all, the Government of Botswana disproportionately distributes it to students whose career interests would help engender economic development.

SCHOOL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN SELECTED PRIVATE AND PUBLIC PRIMARY SCHOOLS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN BOTSWANA

2023-12-01T09:03:44+00:00

The aim of school management is to create and maintain an environment that supports,
promotes, and sustains effective teaching and learning. This is a daunting task which presents
many challenges to the school administrators especially during a pandemic. This study
explored School Management Team (SMT) practices in private and public primary schools in
Gaborone during the pandemic. This was done by determining if SMTs were trained for their
roles in the face of Covid-19, the challenges they faced, the steps taken to manage the
challenges, and the impact of their management practices on learners’ performance. Semistructured interviews were used to collect data from 24 members of the SMTs in two private
schools and two public schools. Data was analysed thematically. Although the majority of the
participants were not trained before assuming their leadership roles, findings showed that the
private school participants engaged in training to enhance their effectiveness during the
pandemic. Challenges like absenteeism, lack of consultation, poor performance, and fear, were
encountered. Classroom shortage was observed in public schools, while private schools were
faced with lack of finance, resistance to change and stigmatization. These challenges were
tackled through remote learning, engaging teachers through a government initiative called
Tirelo Sechaba Programme (TSP), and the use of non-teaching staff for teaching and learning.
Private schools showed more concern towards tackling fear by engaging in light physical
exercises and workshops involving staff from the Ministry of Health. The adoption of remote
learning exposed the inadequacy in the use of technologies in Botswana as they were not
accessible by learners. The study therefore underscores the need for improved education
technology and human resources in Botswana schools, and the need to remove the dichotomy
between private and public schools for improved performance.

MAKING A CASE FOR WHY BOTSWANA PRIMARY SCHOOLS SHOULD EMBRACE VIOLENCE IN IKALANGA FOLKTALES

2023-12-01T09:03:45+00:00

Ikalanga folktales, particularly those of majabathu (ogres) and human narratives have generally
exhibited a fair amount of violence. This study examines forms of violence in Ikalanga folktales
focusing on how physical and verbal violence are depicted using Garver’s theory of violence
to classify the types found in five Ikalanga folktales. The findings show that physical and verbal
violence is pervasive. The article argues that the depiction of violence is necessary for the
pedagogy of the text and must not be viewed in isolation and provides insight into the structural
and ideological function of violence in Ikalanga folktales. Folktales have a useful purpose in
the formal education of a child, particularly since Botswana schools may soon offer mother
tongue instruction at Reception, Standard One and Standard Two levels.

A QUEST TO INTERROGATE DELIVERY OF THE MULTI-RELIGIOUS EDUCATION CURRICULUM IN BOTSWANA SCHOOLS

2023-12-01T09:03:45+00:00

This article argues that pedagogical strategies used for the implementation of the multi-religious
Religious Education (RE) curriculum in Botswana colleges of education need to be examined for
efficacy and appropriateness. There is need to see whether these strategies are effective in
promoting religious tolerance in the classroom, which can later spill over to younger generations
and the world at large. The article discusses religious tolerance and intolerance, ethnic diversity in
Botswana and the role of education in engendering religious tolerance. The article also presents an
extensive discussion on phenomenological and interpretive approaches of delivery in RE classroom
and attempts to argue that these delivery approaches need further examination to assess their
efficacy and appropriateness in the Botswana context.

INNOVATIVE APPROACHES IN LEARNING AND TEACHING IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE PARADIGM SHIFT TOWARDS NATIONAL CREDIT AND QUALIFICATION FRAMEWORK SYSTEM

2023-12-01T09:03:45+00:00

The use of learning outcomes in higher education has gained a crescendo and loudening as the
education and the learning experiences are now outcome-led. The National Credit and
Qualifications Framework from the Botswana Qualifications Authority has put demands on
higher education sphere to change the image of education in Botswana and to align their
programmes offerings with such. Higher education in its contemporary mode deals with a
diverse nature of students, young and mature adults, who require to be capacitated to face the
real world upon completion of their learning programmes. I argue in this paper that new ways
of learning and teaching need to be established that critically engage students in rich learning
environments. Innovative approaches to learning and teaching in higher education are very
crucial as they ensure that students find relevance in their learning, and that the pedagogical
and andragogical approaches use are robust with the demands of the twenty-first century.
Experiential learning, collaborative learning, and other pedagogical approaches in teaching
such as constructivist and inquiry-based approaches need to be further explored in higher
education institutions for their benefits to learners. The pedagogical and andragogical
dichotomy should be unpacked and educators be capacitated in handling these as part of the
innovative approaches in the era of learning outcomes. I suggest in this paper and provoke
thoughts on key issues that need to be taken into account when developing learning outcomes,
qualifications and learning programmes in higher education.