DIGITIZE EDUCATION
The Headteacher of Miami Florida Central Senior High Raymond Sands advises Botswana to continue improving the digital divide locally saying it can lead to greater learning opportunities.
Sands, who is currently in Botswana with 20 of his students from America, has been here since the 16th of July and is returning home this Friday. They are being hosted by Ledumang Senior in Gaborone.
Speaking to The Midweek Sun, Sands said in America, they provide many technological options for study and that is one of the major differences they spotted between Botswana and their country.
However, he did acknowledge that their education structures are more similar than different from Botswana. He admired how teachers here are hardworking and committed to their stakeholders.
Saniya Bethune, a student at Miami High said in America they use online books for study while in Botswana students are given physical textbooks. She said online books made it easy for all to have books and cases of lost books would not be an issue.
Losing textbooks by scholars is one of the many headaches of the Ministry of Education in Botswana. The situation often gets worse to a point that a teacher is forced to use four to five textbooks for a class of more than 30 students.
In the past the Ministry made students pay for the lost books but not all parents paid. This meant that the shortage of textbooks continued.
When speaking to this publication, the Minister of Education Douglas Letsholathebe promised that they strive to introduce computers and the internet to schools so that students are able to use them as a way of pushing towards the 4th industrial revolution.
And it seems Botswana is making strides in achieving the dream as schools throughout the country have been receiving tablets and computers for students to use in schools.
A few foreign students picked at random said Botswana was generally a nice place but they will not take their studies here.
They argued that in America, when they fail, they are given a second chance to take the class but in Botswana if a student fails their form three or form five, they do not continue to the next level.
They also shared that, unlike in Botswana, their lessons last for an hour and 30 minutes while classes in Botswana can last for only 30-40 minutes. Students are instructed for 7.5 hours a day in Miami.
Sands, who is currently in Botswana with 20 of his students from America, has been here since the 16th of July and is returning home this Friday. They are being hosted by Ledumang Senior in Gaborone.
Speaking to The Midweek Sun, Sands said in America, they provide many technological options for study and that is one of the major differences they spotted between Botswana and their country.
However, he did acknowledge that their education structures are more similar than different from Botswana. He admired how teachers here are hardworking and committed to their stakeholders.
Saniya Bethune, a student at Miami High said in America they use online books for study while in Botswana students are given physical textbooks. She said online books made it easy for all to have books and cases of lost books would not be an issue.
Losing textbooks by scholars is one of the many headaches of the Ministry of Education in Botswana. The situation often gets worse to a point that a teacher is forced to use four to five textbooks for a class of more than 30 students.
In the past the Ministry made students pay for the lost books but not all parents paid. This meant that the shortage of textbooks continued.
When speaking to this publication, the Minister of Education Douglas Letsholathebe promised that they strive to introduce computers and the internet to schools so that students are able to use them as a way of pushing towards the 4th industrial revolution.
And it seems Botswana is making strides in achieving the dream as schools throughout the country have been receiving tablets and computers for students to use in schools.
A few foreign students picked at random said Botswana was generally a nice place but they will not take their studies here.
They argued that in America, when they fail, they are given a second chance to take the class but in Botswana if a student fails their form three or form five, they do not continue to the next level.
They also shared that, unlike in Botswana, their lessons last for an hour and 30 minutes while classes in Botswana can last for only 30-40 minutes. Students are instructed for 7.5 hours a day in Miami.
