Botswana’s education system faces a crisis as the prolonged suspension of sporting activities in schools nears its fifth year, with the government seemingly indifferent to the absence of sports, according to revelations by the Botswana Sectors of Educators Trade Union (BOSETU).
The union discloses that the hiatus in sports programs in government schools stems from disputes between the Ministry of Basic Education and the union regarding educator remuneration for work beyond regular hours. The decision is a blow to sporting activities in schools, which is an important component of education and a major contributor to a child’s social development, the teachers union said.
“Sports programs were stalled in government schools following differences between the Ministry of Basic Education and the union party on how educators should be remunerated after working beyond normal working hours,” BOSETU National Organizing Secretary, Mmoloki Bopa told the media in a recent press briefing.
He said on one hand, BOSETU advocates for the payment of overtime in accordance with Section 95 of the Employment Act, but government, who is the employer insists that the sports program should be implemented at no cost.
“The union’s position on school sports is that we support the resuscitation of school sports provided the educators who partake in them are remunerated according to the relevant statutes,” he said, adding that the Union is open to a negotiated agreement with the government. He expressed surprise at the government’s decision to move the sporting portfolio from the Ministry of Basic Education to the Ministry of Youth, Sports, Gender and Culture without informing them.
“The union then made overtures to meet the Ministry. There was progress in that it produced a position paper on how school sports should be organized which they shared with the union to have an input. The joint union party of BOSETU and Botswana Teachers Union (BTU) produced a counter-position paper to be discussed with MYSC officials,” Bopa explained.
Despite initial progress in discussions, the lack of recognition and engagement from top ministry officials leads to a deadlock. BOSETU said it urges legislators and national forces to pressure the Ministry to reinstate school sports, citing the adverse effects on students’ physical, mental, and psychological development and the denial of opportunities at both micro and macro levels.
At a meeting, the joint union party then with ministry officials, where Minister Tumiso Rakgare expressed hopes that they would study the proposals and reach a workable solution.
“After the minister left, the Permanent Secretary Kitso Kemoeng took over the chairmanship of the meeting. He then said that the meeting was not the right platform to discuss issues of school sports and that the bargaining council was the right structure to do so. He also hinted that the review of the public service would address issues of sports in schools and further said that school sports will be returning to schools in the not-so-distant future,” the union spokesperson elaborated. It was also at that meeting that Bopa said union representatives were shocked when the Permanent Secretary said he did not know of the proposals tabled before the Ministry.
“He said the proposals made by the union were against the reward policies in his ministry. The negotiations could not proceed beyond this point because there was no one to negotiate with. The top ministry official does not recognize engagement with teacher trade unions,” Bopa explained in what he says is a lackadaisical approach and business as usual to an issue of national interest. BOSETU says it calls upon all progressive forces in the country to join hands in mounting pressure on MYSC to bring back school sports.
“To be precise, we call upon all legislators from both the ruling and opposition parties to use their parliamentary privileged positions to exert immense pressure on the twin ministries to quickly clarify their roles in implementing sports programs in the government schools,” BOSETU emphasized. The union highlighted that the absence of school sports has had negative effects at both micro and macro levels. At school, the students have missed the developmental benefits associated with participating in sports – physically, mentally, and psychologically.
“Currently, the education system offered in schools is not balanced as it is skewed towards academics only, thus isolating learners who are blessed or gifted in sports. The learners have been denied the opportunity to participate in school-based leagues thus stalling their sports developmental trajectory.
At a macro level, BOSETU noted that learners have been denied the chance to participate in the national elite level because school sports allowed them to be selected or recruited by local clubs while participating in the national and zonal championships.
