* As 11 brilliant pupils of Shaikarawe settlement risk exclusion from writing 2025 PLSE examination * Area has been facing educational crisis for sometime * Authorities meet to map way forward * Area MP and Minister of Welfare clash in Parley
A total of 11 primary school pupils at Shaikarawe Primary School in the Okavango East Constituency risk being excluded from writing their 2025 PLSE examinations.
Shaikarawe is a small settlement with an estimated population of around 300 residents, located between the border villages of Mohembo and Gani. The distressing situation highlights a clear failure within the education system at both the ministry and district levels.
This is evident not only in the initial decision to assign a single head teacher as the caretaker of multiple schools in addition to his own—Mohembo Primary School—but also in the apparent negligence of officials who failed to act on time to ensure that by the end of their seven-year primary education, students would be properly registered for the Primary School Leaving Examinations (PLSE), like their peers nationwide.
Exam regulations explicitly require that all students sitting for the PLSE be registered by their respective school heads in February each year. The policy strictly prohibits any head teacher from registering students from schools other than their own.
At the core of the issue is the absence of a substantive head teacher at Shaikarawe Primary School. According to examination protocols, only a formally appointed head teacher can be registered in the Botswana Examinations Council system as the Chief Invigilation Officer.
Without this official designation, students cannot be registered for their exams, leaving them in a dire academic predicament. Shaikarawe Satellite School was established in 2016 to provide pupils with quality education while allowing them to remain with their families rather than enrolling in boarding schools.
Prior to this, students had to walk long distances daily to attend schools in far-off areas such as Nxauxau and Gumare. During the school's construction, parents and the broader community made significant financial sacrifices, working alongside the government to build satellite primary schools using mostly local materials.
These schools were primarily intended for lower-grade students, particularly those in Standard 2 and below.
This initiative was commended by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Botswana office, which focuses on supporting the most disadvantaged children, including those living in fragile conditions, children with disabilities, those impacted by rapid urbanisation, and those affected by environmental degradation.
However, the failure to register students due to a lapse in the system is deeply disheartening, as it has denied students from Shaikarawe and Mowana schools the opportunity to make history as the first graduates of Shaikarawe to sit for the Primary School Leaving Examination (PLSE).
Currently, Shaikarawe operates under the supervision of the Mohembo Primary School head teacher.
However, as a precautionary measure, the registration and logging system requires security details, including the O Mang number of the designated school head, before confirming them as the Chief Invigilation Officer.
Additionally, once registered, the system issues a password that restricts the user to enrolling students from only one school.
Consequently, the head teacher of Mohembo, who also oversees Shaikarawe, is unable to register more than one school using the same credentials.
With the registration deadline set for today, Friday, February 21, and no extensions available, urgent action is needed to ensure these students are not denied their fundamental right to education and examination.
Reports suggest that little effort is being made to improve the standard of education in the area. According to reliable information received by Botswana Guardian, the school has been in operation for nearly nine years but remains severely understaffed.
It has only 10 teachers, all of whom are temporary, except for one serving as "Teacher Aid."
The situation is worsened by transportation challenges. Despite the school’s temporary status, teachers must personally cover their daily transport costs, traveling approximately 50 kilometres round trip from Shakawe.
They reportedly spend at least P1000 per month to fulfil their teaching duties.
Furthermore, this publication has learned that education authorities mishandled efforts to rectify the situation and facilitate pupil registration for the Primary School Leaving Examination (PLSE).
Instead of promoting a competent Head of Department from Mohembo Primary School to lead the school, authorities allegedly issued an offer letter requesting the individual to relocate temporarily to Shaikarawe as a Chief Invigilation Officer, rather than officially promoting the school.
The teacher declined the offer, citing concerns, and requested the authorities to reconsider. The education officials have since agreed to review their decision and have promised to send a revised offer after consulting their superiors.
At the time of going to press, it remained unclear whether a new offer had been made. However, two things were evident: if the school does not have a principal by today’s deadline, the pupils will be unable to sit for their examinations—unless an extraordinary intervention based on compassion and fairness is made from higher authorities.
Another emerging issue is the growing tension between the area Member of Parliament, Gabotshole Disho, and the Minister of Child Welfare and Basic Education, Nono Kgafela-Mokoka.
The two engaged in a heated exchange in Parliament on Monday while Disho was debating the budget speech.
During his address on education, Disho raised concerns about Gowa Junior Secondary School and warned that Shaikarawe pupils risk missing their Primary School Leaving Examinations due to the ministry’s failures.
In response, Minister Kgafela-Mokoka interrupted on a point of order, accusing Disho of being insincere in his remarks.
She challenged him, saying, "Have the people in your constituency not informed you of the actions taken by the Deputy Permanent Secretary at the junior school? Why are you personally attacking me? I will not take kindly to that."
Disho clarified that his remarks were not a personal attack on the Minister. Instead, he reminded her that he had personally compiled a report on the education crisis and submitted it to her, expecting that, after reviewing the document and making a decision, she would provide feedback on the actions taken.
"Instead, you ignored me and went straight to the junior secondary school to address the issue. That is exactly the level of incompetence I am referring to. Your incompetence is outrageous, and you should be removed from the system," he asserted.
This is not the first-time concerns about education in the area have been raised in Parliament.
In 2021, then-Okavango MP Kenny Kapinga sought an update on when residents of Kajaja, Shaikarawe, and Xhaoga could expect proper schools constructed with durable materials and essential utilities, in line with the envisioned knowledge-based economy.
The then-Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Sethabelo Modukanele, responded that the development of schools in these areas had been delayed due to tender-related legal disputes.
However, construction was scheduled to begin in the first week of October that year and was expected to be completed within 40 weeks.
Additionally, Modukanele reported that through the Constituency Community Projects (CCP), permanent structures—including a one-by-two classroom block and two 2½ houses—had been built at Xhaoga.
Similarly, in 2018, Mahalapye West legislator Joseph Molefe questioned then-Minister of Basic Education, Dr Unity Dow about the number and locations of satellite schools, their financing, and the criteria used to determine their placement.
Dr Dow stated that there were seven satellite schools located in Bikwe, Eretsha, Letoreng, Machana, Mokgacha, Nxaraga, and Shaikarawe. She explained that her ministry was collaborating with the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development to ensure access to primary education for all.
The construction of these schools was financed by the government, in partnership with local communities, NGOs, churches, and benefactors.
She noted that the recurrent costs were covered by the government through their parent schools.
The location criteria for satellite schools were determined based on the distances children had to travel, the availability of sustainable land, and community involvement.
Shaikarawe is a small settlement with an estimated population of around 300 residents, located between the border villages of Mohembo and Gani. The distressing situation highlights a clear failure within the education system at both the ministry and district levels.
This is evident not only in the initial decision to assign a single head teacher as the caretaker of multiple schools in addition to his own—Mohembo Primary School—but also in the apparent negligence of officials who failed to act on time to ensure that by the end of their seven-year primary education, students would be properly registered for the Primary School Leaving Examinations (PLSE), like their peers nationwide.
Exam regulations explicitly require that all students sitting for the PLSE be registered by their respective school heads in February each year. The policy strictly prohibits any head teacher from registering students from schools other than their own.
At the core of the issue is the absence of a substantive head teacher at Shaikarawe Primary School. According to examination protocols, only a formally appointed head teacher can be registered in the Botswana Examinations Council system as the Chief Invigilation Officer.
Without this official designation, students cannot be registered for their exams, leaving them in a dire academic predicament. Shaikarawe Satellite School was established in 2016 to provide pupils with quality education while allowing them to remain with their families rather than enrolling in boarding schools.
Prior to this, students had to walk long distances daily to attend schools in far-off areas such as Nxauxau and Gumare. During the school's construction, parents and the broader community made significant financial sacrifices, working alongside the government to build satellite primary schools using mostly local materials.
These schools were primarily intended for lower-grade students, particularly those in Standard 2 and below.
This initiative was commended by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Botswana office, which focuses on supporting the most disadvantaged children, including those living in fragile conditions, children with disabilities, those impacted by rapid urbanisation, and those affected by environmental degradation.
However, the failure to register students due to a lapse in the system is deeply disheartening, as it has denied students from Shaikarawe and Mowana schools the opportunity to make history as the first graduates of Shaikarawe to sit for the Primary School Leaving Examination (PLSE).
Currently, Shaikarawe operates under the supervision of the Mohembo Primary School head teacher.
However, as a precautionary measure, the registration and logging system requires security details, including the O Mang number of the designated school head, before confirming them as the Chief Invigilation Officer.
Additionally, once registered, the system issues a password that restricts the user to enrolling students from only one school.
Consequently, the head teacher of Mohembo, who also oversees Shaikarawe, is unable to register more than one school using the same credentials.
With the registration deadline set for today, Friday, February 21, and no extensions available, urgent action is needed to ensure these students are not denied their fundamental right to education and examination.
Reports suggest that little effort is being made to improve the standard of education in the area. According to reliable information received by Botswana Guardian, the school has been in operation for nearly nine years but remains severely understaffed.
It has only 10 teachers, all of whom are temporary, except for one serving as "Teacher Aid."
The situation is worsened by transportation challenges. Despite the school’s temporary status, teachers must personally cover their daily transport costs, traveling approximately 50 kilometres round trip from Shakawe.
They reportedly spend at least P1000 per month to fulfil their teaching duties.
Furthermore, this publication has learned that education authorities mishandled efforts to rectify the situation and facilitate pupil registration for the Primary School Leaving Examination (PLSE).
Instead of promoting a competent Head of Department from Mohembo Primary School to lead the school, authorities allegedly issued an offer letter requesting the individual to relocate temporarily to Shaikarawe as a Chief Invigilation Officer, rather than officially promoting the school.
The teacher declined the offer, citing concerns, and requested the authorities to reconsider. The education officials have since agreed to review their decision and have promised to send a revised offer after consulting their superiors.
At the time of going to press, it remained unclear whether a new offer had been made. However, two things were evident: if the school does not have a principal by today’s deadline, the pupils will be unable to sit for their examinations—unless an extraordinary intervention based on compassion and fairness is made from higher authorities.
Another emerging issue is the growing tension between the area Member of Parliament, Gabotshole Disho, and the Minister of Child Welfare and Basic Education, Nono Kgafela-Mokoka.
The two engaged in a heated exchange in Parliament on Monday while Disho was debating the budget speech.
During his address on education, Disho raised concerns about Gowa Junior Secondary School and warned that Shaikarawe pupils risk missing their Primary School Leaving Examinations due to the ministry’s failures.
In response, Minister Kgafela-Mokoka interrupted on a point of order, accusing Disho of being insincere in his remarks.
She challenged him, saying, "Have the people in your constituency not informed you of the actions taken by the Deputy Permanent Secretary at the junior school? Why are you personally attacking me? I will not take kindly to that."
Disho clarified that his remarks were not a personal attack on the Minister. Instead, he reminded her that he had personally compiled a report on the education crisis and submitted it to her, expecting that, after reviewing the document and making a decision, she would provide feedback on the actions taken.
"Instead, you ignored me and went straight to the junior secondary school to address the issue. That is exactly the level of incompetence I am referring to. Your incompetence is outrageous, and you should be removed from the system," he asserted.
This is not the first-time concerns about education in the area have been raised in Parliament.
In 2021, then-Okavango MP Kenny Kapinga sought an update on when residents of Kajaja, Shaikarawe, and Xhaoga could expect proper schools constructed with durable materials and essential utilities, in line with the envisioned knowledge-based economy.
The then-Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Sethabelo Modukanele, responded that the development of schools in these areas had been delayed due to tender-related legal disputes.
However, construction was scheduled to begin in the first week of October that year and was expected to be completed within 40 weeks.
Additionally, Modukanele reported that through the Constituency Community Projects (CCP), permanent structures—including a one-by-two classroom block and two 2½ houses—had been built at Xhaoga.
Similarly, in 2018, Mahalapye West legislator Joseph Molefe questioned then-Minister of Basic Education, Dr Unity Dow about the number and locations of satellite schools, their financing, and the criteria used to determine their placement.
Dr Dow stated that there were seven satellite schools located in Bikwe, Eretsha, Letoreng, Machana, Mokgacha, Nxaraga, and Shaikarawe. She explained that her ministry was collaborating with the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development to ensure access to primary education for all.
The construction of these schools was financed by the government, in partnership with local communities, NGOs, churches, and benefactors.
She noted that the recurrent costs were covered by the government through their parent schools.
The location criteria for satellite schools were determined based on the distances children had to travel, the availability of sustainable land, and community involvement.
