DPSM, education ministry to meet teachers over grievances

The Ministry of Education intends to meet teacher unions before the end of this week to resolve their grievances over coursework and invigilation.

The Deputy Permanent Secretary Mmoloki Raletobana says they are working hard to ensure that this year teachers participate in coursework and invigilation.

“We do understand what they want and I believe by this week, something positive will come out, we have looked into their demands,” he said.

Asked if their back and forth with teacher unions is not causing disruption in schools as students prepare for their final examinations, Raletobana explained that not all teachers are refusing to do course work.

“Only those who are members of the union have not been doing anything coursework related, some have submitted marks already, so the situation is not all bad but it does not mean we will not find a solution to the standoff,” he said.

Last week, teacher unions announced that they have reached a deadlock concerning the matter and that they were downing tools until their grievances are addressed.

They expressed disappointment at how the Ministry has been handling the matter, saying their job was to ensure that teacher unions and Botswana Examinations Council (BEC) are made to understand each other but that has since failed.

BOSETU spokesperson, Oreeditse Nyatso said that BEC needs to pay teachers for work done and remuneration can only come in if both parties are in agreement.

“BEC said they do not recognise teacher unions and that is how the ministry stepped in because we have a recognition agreement with them. They said they will deal with the 2023 coursework issues.

“The ministry said they wanted the negotiations to be progressive, they painted a picture of wanting to resolve this issue once and for all but we have now been left wondering if they really had intentions of solving this matter or not,” Nyatso said.

Meanwhile, teachers are busy preparing for the BOSETU 2023 national conference that will be held early next week in Palapye.

The national conference comes at a time when teachers are disgruntled and expectation is that there will be a lot on the table to discuss.

The past year saw teachers being accused of abusing students in schools; this led to unions advising that teachers should stay away from administering corporal punishment in schools.

The issue brought a lot of debate with some teachers arguing that stopping the use of the stick meant that students will do as they please and even go on to disrespect teachers.

And indeed cases of teachers being insulted and slapped by students cropped up.

BOSETU Secretary General, Tobokani Rari said this week that they will also be discussing teacher loads and pre-primary education among other issues. At the conference, Gaone Macholo who is the Director Directorate of Public

Service Management (DPSM) and three Permanent Secretaries - Miriam Maroba of the Ministry of Education, Jimmy Opelo of Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs and Kitso Kemoeng of the Ministry of Youth, Gender, Sports and Culture - will address teachers on issues affecting them as educators.