- Says there has been an over-supply in recent years
- Calls for full time employment of temporary teachers
MIMI MOKGETHI
The Botswana Sector of Educators Trade Union (BOSETU) has challenged the government to prove that there are no primary school teachers in the labour market.
Responding to a recent advertisement of a need for primary school teachers across the country, the Secretary General of BOSETU, Tobokani Rari, said there has been such an over-production of teachers in recent years that some of colleges of education were closed.
“The Ministry has been struggling to recruit Primary School Teachers as they do not seem to be available in the market,” the Ministry of Basic Education advert said. “In the event primary school teachers do not apply, consideration will be given to Secondary School Teachers who have taught at Primary School level for a minimum of one year and performed well.”
However, the advert added, teachers will have to be willing to become primary school teachers and be re-tooled.
Rari has challenged MoBE to produce data to prove that such a shortage exists. “Some colleges of education were closed down in the recent years because the government wanted to divert the resources used in training primary school teachers elsewhere as the market was saturated,” he said.
He called for the significant number of primary school teachers currently working on a temporary basis to be employed on a permanent basis towards filling the reportedly vacant posts.
“There are about three teachers in the Kgatleng region who have written to my office complaining that they have been serving as temporary teachers for more than six years and are now being told that their contracts have been terminated because the Public Service Act does not allow people to serve for that long on a temporary basis,” Rari said, adding that these temporary teachers are qualified and are doing a great job for which they deserve to be recognised.
Meanwhile, MoBE is yet to respond to a Gazette questionnaire on the matter.